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Gamma rays, X-rays, and extreme ultraviolet rays are called ionizing radiation because their high photon energy is able to ionize atoms, causing chemical reactions. Longer-wavelength radiation such as visible light is nonionizing; the photons do not have sufficient energy to ionize atoms.
Aug 29, 2023 · Gamma Rays. The part of the electromagnetic spectrum with the longest wavelength and lowest frequency is radio. The portion with the shortest wavelength and highest frequency is gamma radiation. Visible light, which is the portion of the spectrum that we can see, is roughly in the middle.
- What Is The Electromagnetic Spectrum?
- How We Measure Light
- What Different Types of Light Tell Us
The electromagnetic spectrum describes all of the kinds of light, including those the human eye cannot see. In fact, most of the light in the universe is invisible to our eyes. The light we can see, made up of the individual colors of the rainbow, represents only a very small portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. Other types of light include rad...
Light travels in waves, much like the waves you find in the ocean. As a wave, light has several basic properties that describe it. One is frequency, which counts the number of waves that pass by a given point in one second. Another is wavelength, the distance from the peak of one wave to the peak of the next. These properties are closely and invers...
To study the universe, astronomers employ the entire electromagnetic spectrum. Different types of light tell us different things. Radio waves and microwaves, which have the lowest energies, allow scientists to pierce dense, interstellar clouds to see the motion of cold gas. Infrared light is used to see through cold dust; study warm gas and dust, a...
Nov 14, 2014 · Radio waves, gamma-rays, visible light, and all the other parts of the electromagnetic spectrum are electromagnetic radiation. Electromagnetic radiation can be described in terms of a stream of mass-less particles, called photons , each traveling in a wave-like pattern at the speed of light .
Apr 8, 2008 · Explainer: Understanding light and electromagnetic radiation. Here's a simple guide to the different types of electromagnetic energy that move as waves. The electromagnetic spectrum describes different types of radiation, from visible light to gamma rays and more.
Jul 18, 2024 · The electromagnetic spectrum includes a range of all types of light, not just what we can see. This range – going from radio waves to gamma rays – is mostly invisible to our eyes.
The electromagnetic spectrum is a continuous range of wavelengths. The types of radiation that occur in different parts of the spectrum have different uses and dangers - depending on their ...
