Energy density in electromagnetic fields (u = ½ε₀E² + B²/(2μ₀); traveling EM wave in vacuum: u =)

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u = ½ε₀E² + B²/(2μ₀); traveling EM wave in vacuum: u = ε₀E² = B²/μ₀

What each symbol means

SymbolWhat it stands for
BMagnetic field magnitude (T)
EElectric field magnitude (V/m)
uEnergy density (J/m³)

When to use this

Superposition of general fields uses sum of electric and magnetic parts; for plane EM wave in vacuum instantaneous electric and magnetic energy densities are equal.