A plane electromagnetic wave travelling in vacuum has electric field amplitude

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

A plane electromagnetic wave travelling in vacuum has electric field amplitude E0=250 V m−1E_0 = 250\,\mathrm{V\,m^{-1}}. Take c=3.00×108 m s−1c = 3.00\times10^{8}\,\mathrm{m\,s^{-1}} and ε0=8.854×10−12 F m−1\varepsilon_0 = 8.854\times10^{-12}\,\mathrm{F\,m^{-1}}. Find the intensity of the wave, that is the time-averaged energy crossing one square metre perpendicular to the direction of travel each second.

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