Light Waves come in a whole range of frequencies and wavelengths--from radio waves as big as mountains to gamma rays smaller than atoms. Regardless of size, all light waves carry energy, and each is useful in its own way.
Scientists have organized all of this energy into a table called the electromagnetic spectrum.
Watch this animation to find out more about the electromagnetic spectrum. As you watch the segment, you might want to check the definitions of specific words. In addition to those listed above, the terms transverse wave and particles will be described.
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Electromagnetic waves transfer energy in a transverse fashion, so just like a mechanical transverse wave, electromagnetic waves can have long or short wavelengths and high or low frequencies, depending on how much energy the wave is carrying.
And all of this light energy, called radiation, has been arranged by scientists into a nice little chart called the electromagnetic spectrum.
Arranged by frequency, the radiation ranges from low energy radio waves, to microwaves, to infrared radiation, to visible light, followed by ultraviolet light, x-rays, and finally to gamma rays, which have the highest frequency, and therefore the highest energy.
The electromagnetic spectrum is the entire range of wave frequencies and lengths that light energy can travel, and we humans can only see this tiny part with our eyes. But we can feel this part (infrared/heat, ultraviolet/sunburn) with our skin, and have created instruments to hear this part (radio) with our ears, and cook our food using this part (microwave). We use x-ray radiation to see inside our bodies, and create gamma radiation in our nuclear power. \
All in all, our lives are connected to the electromagnetic spectrum--whether we like it or not.
In the notes box below, list the 7 parts of the electromagnetic spectrum, from lowest frequency (or largest wavelength) to highest frequency (or smallest wavelength).