Pedagogical tool to teach electromagnetic plane wave propagation in various media environments

Abstract

Abstract In the usual process of teaching students about the electromagnetic field, students often have difficulty in understanding the propagation process of invisible electromagnetic waves under different medium environments. To facilitate students understanding and learning of related knowledge, in this article, we first derive the process of solving Maxwell’s equation using finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) under different media environments for the designed experimental models to obtain the spatial distribution of the electromagnetic field. After that, we use the MATLAB language to program the FDTD solution method to verify our theoretical analysis based on the simulation results. Based on this, we develop a convenient and quick interactive mobile software tool, aiming to give students a vivid and intuitive demonstration and explanation for the propagation of electromagnetic waves in different media environments.