Radio waves, the light you see, and the gamma rays from space are all the same kind of wave, differing only in wavelength. Lined up shortest to longest they make one continuous spectrum, all racing through space at the same speed.
All electromagnetic waves are transverse and travel at 3 x 10⁸ m/s in a vacuum. From radio waves to gamma rays the wavelength gets shorter and the frequency higher. Visible light is only a thin band in the middle.
The electromagnetic spectrum is the family of transverse waves that all travel at the same speed in a vacuum, 3 x 10⁸ m/s, arranged in order of wavelength from radio waves (longest) to gamma rays (shortest).
Order: radio, microwave, infrared, visible, ultraviolet, X-rays, gamma. Along it the wavelength falls and the frequency rises.
Move along the bands from radio to gamma and watch the wavelength shorten and the frequency climb.
Four quick checks. Each correct answer earns XP and lights this skill on your star map.
Which region of the electromagnetic spectrum has the longest wavelength?
In a vacuum, all electromagnetic waves travel at...
Visible light sits in the spectrum between...
A common use of infrared radiation is in...
The regions differ in wavelength and frequency, but in a vacuum they all travel at the same speed.
A microwave has a wavelength of 0.020 m. Find its frequency in a vacuum.
Every electromagnetic wave travels at the same speed in a vacuum, whatever its frequency. What changes across the spectrum is the wavelength and frequency, not the speed. Visible light is only a thin slice sitting between infrared and ultraviolet.
Unlocks once the four checks above are done. Worth more XP, written in the style of Paper 2.
A type of radiation is used both to cook food and to carry mobile phone and satellite signals. It is...
Which region of the spectrum has the highest frequency?
A radio wave has a wavelength of 1500 m. Its frequency in a vacuum is about...
The electromagnetic spectrum is mapped. Keep the chain going.