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Exam level5 past questions

Nature and properties of electromagnetic waves

Electromagnetic waves are transverse waves consisting of mutually perpendicular oscillating electric and magnetic fields, both perpendicular to the direction of propagation, and exhibit properties such as speed, polarization, and ability to travel through vacuum.

Why this shows up in the exam

NEET tests your understanding of the fundamental characteristics and behavior of electromagnetic waves in different contexts.

How NEET tests this

Statement analysis · 3 QsApplication · 2 QsDirect recall

Learn the idea

Electromagnetic waves are transverse: the electric field (E), magnetic field (B) and the direction of propagation (k) are all mutually perpendicular, and E and B oscillate in phase.

🧠 Memory hook: Think of three streetlights at a roundabout: one shines east‑west (E), one north‑south (B), and the road goes straight ahead (k) – all at right angles.

Get this one clearly and it pays off every single time it shows up in the paper. 🎯

Formulas & facts to keep ready

  • E, B and k are mutually perpendicular (E ⟂ B ⟂ k)
  • In free space E = c B where c = 1/√(μ₀ε₀) ≈ 3×10⁸ m s⁻¹
  • Electric and magnetic fields reach their maxima and minima simultaneously (in phase)
  • Average energy is shared equally between electric and magnetic fields
  • EM waves require no material medium for propagation

How to approach it

  1. 1Read the statement and note which property (direction, phase, relation, medium) it concerns
  2. 2Apply the perpendicular‑vector rule: E ⟂ B and both ⟂ direction of propagation
  3. 3Check if the fields are described as in phase and sharing equal energy
  4. 4If any condition is violated, the statement is false; otherwise it is true

Worked example — watch it click

Which of the following statement is false for the properties of electromagnetic waves?

  • A)both electric and magnetic field vectors attain the maxima and minima at the same place and same time.
  • B)The energy in electromagnetic wave is divided equally between electric and magnetic vectors.
  • ✅Both electric and magnetic field vectors are parallel to each other and perpendicular to the direction of propagation of wave.
  • D)These waves do not require any material medium for propagation.

The concept behind this problem

The question asks you to identify the only false claim about EM‑wave fields, so you must recall the perpendicular relationship and the in‑phase, equal‑energy nature of E and B.

Step by step

  1. 1In electromagnetic waves: (a) TRUE - E and B oscillate in phase, reaching maxima and minima simultaneously.
  2. 2(b) TRUE - Energy is equally divided between electric and magnetic fields.
  3. 3(c) FALSE - E and B are perpendicular to each other AND both are perpendicular to the direction of propagation.
  4. 4(d) TRUE - EM waves can propagate through vacuum.
  5. 5Option (c) is the false statement.

Watch out

Students often forget that E and B are perpendicular to each other and mistakenly mark the ‘parallel’ option as true.

Common slip-ups that cost marks

  • •Choosing “parallel” for E and B – they are perpendicular, not parallel
  • •Assuming E and B are out of phase – they oscillate together
  • •Believing a material medium is needed for EM wave propagation

🌟 That's the whole idea — you've got this. Try the practice set below; every question you attempt makes it stick a little harder.

Practise it

These are real questions from past NEET papers that test this exact idea.

Question 1 of 5NEET 2010

Which of the following statement is false for the properties of electromagnetic waves?

Push further

More challenging

14 harder questions built from the past papers above — a step up in difficulty, with distractors designed so you can't get there by elimination. Written and checked by our reviewers, not from a real paper.

Question 1 of 14

An electromagnetic wave is described by E = E₀ cos(ωt + kx) k̂. Which of the following statements is true regarding this wave?

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