Maxwell's equations
Maxwell's equations are four equations that explain how electricity and magnetism work. They explain how electric fields and magnetic fields interact with each other, and how electricity moves from one place to another. To explain these equations in a way a 5 year-old can understand, it's best to start with something simple.
Imagine you have two magnets, one red and one blue. The red magnet has a red invisible force line and the blue magnet has a blue invisible force line. These are called magnetic fields. When the red and blue magnets are close to each other, they can push and pull each other. That's what the first two of Maxwell's equations explain— how magnets pushing and pulling on each other works.
The other two of Maxwell's equations talk about what happens when electricity moves from one place to another. It's like if you had a tiny circle of water in your hand and then threw it up into the air. The water circle would spread out and get bigger and bigger as it moved away from you. The same thing happens with electricity. It spreads out and gets bigger as it moves away, like a wave. That is what Maxwell's equations explain— how electricity moves and spreads out like a wave.
Imagine you have two magnets, one red and one blue. The red magnet has a red invisible force line and the blue magnet has a blue invisible force line. These are called magnetic fields. When the red and blue magnets are close to each other, they can push and pull each other. That's what the first two of Maxwell's equations explain— how magnets pushing and pulling on each other works.
The other two of Maxwell's equations talk about what happens when electricity moves from one place to another. It's like if you had a tiny circle of water in your hand and then threw it up into the air. The water circle would spread out and get bigger and bigger as it moved away from you. The same thing happens with electricity. It spreads out and gets bigger as it moves away, like a wave. That is what Maxwell's equations explain— how electricity moves and spreads out like a wave.