Search results
Light is called an 'electromagnetic wave' for historical reasons* in the following sense: It turned out that the effects of visible light and other radiation can be calculated using Maxwell's equations, which are also used to model the behaviour of electrically charged particles. This was an instant of a successful unification and it hasn't ...
The spectrum is divided into separate bands, with different names for the electromagnetic waves within each band. From low to high frequency these are: radio waves, microwaves, infrared, visible light, ultraviolet, X-rays, and gamma rays.
- Radio Waves
- Microwaves
- Infrared
- Visible Light
- Ultraviolet
- X-Rays
- Gamma Rays
As the name suggests, radio waves are emitted by radiostations, TV stations, and cellphone towers. They have a wavelength range of 1-105meters.
Microwaves are used to broadcast information through spaceas they can penetrate through clouds and light rain. They are also used to heatfood, which led to the invention of the microwave oven.
Infrared radiation is thermal radiationthat carries heat.They are used in many infrared devices and remote sensing for weatherconditions.
Light is the only part of the electromagnetic spectrum thatis visible to the human eye. The eye perceives light as a combination ofseveral colors of different wavelengths. Light is made up of seven colors –violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange, and red.
Ultraviolet light is emitted by the sun and is responsiblefor sunburn. They are used in “black lights” that make objects glow.
X-rays are used for medical purposes. They can penetratethrough the skin and tissue and reveal a detailed structure of the interior.
Distant astronomical bodies emit high energy gamma rays. They are also produced in the laboratory by bombarding subatomic particles with protons and neutrons and during a nuclear explosion.
Classically, electromagnetic radiation consists of electromagnetic waves, which are synchronized oscillations of electric and magnetic fields. In a vacuum, electromagnetic waves travel at the speed of light, commonly denoted c. There, depending on the frequency of oscillation, different wavelengths of electromagnetic spectrum are produced.
Electromagnetic waves are ubiquitous in nature (i.e., light) and used in modern technology—AM and FM radio, cordless and cellular phones, garage door openers, wireless networks, radar, microwave ovens, etc. These and many more such devices use electromagnetic waves to transmit data and signals.
Dec 28, 2020 · Light waves are a form of EM waves that travel at constant velocity c and require no medium. Electromagnetic waves are all around you, all the time, and even if you are not consciously aware of the various forms of ambient electromagnetic radiation, their physical effects are significant.
Oct 21, 2024 · In spite of theoretical and experimental advances in the first half of the 19th century that established the wave properties of light, the nature of light was not yet revealed—the identity of the wave oscillations remained a mystery.
