Electromagnetic Waves
Electromagnetic waves are oscillating electric and magnetic fields that propagate through space, carrying energy and information at the speed of light.
Definition
Electromagnetic waves consist of perpendicular electric and magnetic fields that oscillate transverse to the direction of travel.
They arise from accelerating charged particles, like oscillating electrons.
Unlike sound waves, they require no medium and travel through vacuum.
This diagram shows the perpendicular electric (blue) and magnetic (orange) fields in an electromagnetic wave.
Key Properties
All electromagnetic waves move at [ c = 3 \times 10^8 ] m/s in vacuum, related by [ c = f \lambda ] where [ f ] is frequency and [ \lambda ] is wavelength.
Higher frequency means higher energy and shorter wavelength.
They exhibit wave-particle duality, behaving as photons in quantum contexts.
Electromagnetic Spectrum
The spectrum spans radio waves (longest wavelength, lowest energy) to gamma rays (shortest wavelength, highest energy).
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