Properties of Electromagnetic Waves
- Visible light is just one part of a much bigger spectrum: The Electromagnetic Spectrum
- All electromagnetic waves have the following properties in common:
- They are all transverse waves
- They can all travel in a vacuum
- They all travel at the same speed in a vacuum (free space) — the speed of light
- The speed of light in air is approximately the same as in a vacuum
Oscillating electric and magnetic fields in an electromagnetic wave
- These transverse waves consist of electric and magnetic fields oscillating at right angles to each other and to the direction in which the wave is travelling (in 3D space)
- Since they are transverse, all waves in this spectrum can:
- Reflect
- Refract
- Diffract
- Be polarised
- Produce interference patterns
The Electromagnetic Spectrum
- The electromagnetic spectrum (EM) is arranged in a specific order based on the wavelengths or frequencies
- This order is shown in the diagram below from longest wavelength (lowest frequency) to shortest wavelength (highest frequency)
Energy, wavelength and frequency for each part of the electromagnetic spectrum
- The higher the frequency, the higher the energy of the radiation
- Radiation with higher energy is highly ionising and is harmful to cells and tissues causing cancer (e.g. UV, X-rays, Gamma rays)
Uses of EM Waves
- Electromagnetic waves have a large number of uses
- The main uses are summarised in the table below: