Electromagnetic Waves

Electromagnetic Waves

1. The electromagnetic spectrum

   • Radio waves; micro waves; infrared; visible light; ultra violet; x-rays; gamma rays
     • Radio waves are the least radioactive/dangerous. Gamma rays are the most.
       • Shorter wavelengths have higher frequencies
         • • What we see as white light is actually a mixture of all the colours across the spectrum
     • Our eyes can only detect visible light. Different colours of light have different wavelengths, e.g. why the ocean is seen as blue.
       • From longest to shortest: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet
     • The seven groups are grouped on frequency and wave length, but really merge into a continuous spectrum

2. Electromagnetic waves are transverse waves

   • • The waves all travel at the same speeds through space. This speed is very fast, but it does take EM waves some time to get from one point to another
       • In different materials, the waves can travel at different speeds

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