Tables give the electric constant

PHYSICS · Subjective · Fermi University Physics · Electricity, Magnetism & Electromagnetism · Electromagnetic waves and their propagation · Electromagnetic waves and their propagation

Electricity, Magnetism and Electromagnetism, Ch Plane electromagnetic waves: polarisation, energy flux and radiation pressure

Problem

Tables give the electric constant, first measured with a capacitor, as ε0=8.854×10−12 F m−1\varepsilon_0 = 8.854\times10^{-12}\,\mathrm{F\,m^{-1}} and the magnetic constant, first measured from the force between currents, as μ0=1.2566×10−6 H m−1\mu_0 = 1.2566\times10^{-6}\,\mathrm{H\,m^{-1}}. The wave equation for fields in vacuum has solutions that move at the speed 1/μ0ε01/\sqrt{\mu_0\varepsilon_0}. Compute this speed to four significant figures. The measured speed of light in vacuum is 2.9979×108 m s−12.9979\times10^{8}\,\mathrm{m\,s^{-1}}; state whether the two agree to within 0.1 %0.1\,\%.

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