Electromagnetic (EM) Waves (AQA GCSE Physics: Combined Science)

• Electromagnetic waves are defined as:

Transverse waves that transfer energy from the source of the waves to an absorber

• All electromagnetic waves share the following properties:
  • They are all transverse
  • They can all travel through a vacuum
  • They all travel at the same speed in a vacuum

• There are 7 types of electromagnetic waves, which all together form a continuous spectrum

• The electromagnetic spectrum 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)

Visible light is just one small part of a much bigger spectrum: The electromagnetic spectrum

• The higher the frequency, the higher the energy of the radiation
• Radiation with higher energy is:
  • Highly ionising
  • Harmful to cells and tissues causing cancer (e.g. UV, X-rays, Gamma rays)

• Radiation with lower energy is:
  • Useful for communications
  • Less harmful to humans

Visible Light

• Visible light is defined as the range of wavelengths which are visible to humans
• Visible light is the only part of the spectrum detectable by the human eye
  • However, it only takes up 0.0035% of the whole electromagnetic spectrum

• In the natural world, many animals, such as birds, bees and certain fish, are able to perceive beyond visible light and can see infra-red and UV wavelengths of light
• The different colours of waves correspond to different wavelengths:
  • Red has the longest wavelength (and the lowest frequency and energy)
  • Violet has the shortest wavelength (and the highest frequency and energy)

The colours of the visible spectrum: red has the longest wavelength; violet has the shortest