Electromagnetic Waves Notes 2025/2026
Electromagnetic wave - ✔✔✔a disturbance that transfers energy through a field
Radiation - ✔✔✔energy that moves in the from of EM waves
Electromagnetic spectrum - ✔✔✔the range of all EM frequencies
Radio waves - ✔✔✔EM waves that have the longes wavelengths, lowest frequencies, lowest
energies
Microwaves - ✔✔✔EM waves with shorter wavelenghths, higher frequencies and higher energy
than radio waves
Visible light - ✔✔✔part of the EM spectrum that human eyes can see
Infrared light - ✔✔✔part of the spectrum consistes of EM frequencies between microwave and
visible light
Ultraviolet light - ✔✔✔part of the EM spectrum consists of frequencies above those of visible
light and below x-rays
X-rays - ✔✔✔have frequencies from about 10 to the 16th Hz to 10 to the 21 hz
Gamma rays - ✔✔✔have frequencies from about 10 to the 19th hz to 10 to the 24 hz
Incandesence - ✔✔✔the production of light by materials at high temperatures
Luminescence - ✔✔✔the production of light without the high temperatures needed for
incandescence
Bioluminescence - ✔✔✔the production of light by living organisms
Fluorescence - ✔✔✔occurs when a material absorbs EM radiation of one wave lenght, gives off
EM radiation of another
Transmission - ✔✔✔the passage of an EM wave through a medium
Absorption - ✔✔✔the dissapperance of an EM wave through a medium
Scattering - ✔✔✔speading out of light rays in all direction, but particles reflect and absorb the
light
Polarization - ✔✔✔a quality of light in which all of its waves vibrate in the same direction
Prism - ✔✔✔a tool that uses refraction to spead out the wavelenths that make up white light
Primary colors - ✔✔✔these threecolors of light which cna be mixed to produce all possible
colors
Electromagnetic wave - ✔✔✔a disturbance that transfers energy through a field
Radiation - ✔✔✔energy that moves in the from of EM waves
Electromagnetic spectrum - ✔✔✔the range of all EM frequencies
Radio waves - ✔✔✔EM waves that have the longes wavelengths, lowest frequencies, lowest
energies
Microwaves - ✔✔✔EM waves with shorter wavelenghths, higher frequencies and higher energy
than radio waves
Visible light - ✔✔✔part of the EM spectrum that human eyes can see
Infrared light - ✔✔✔part of the spectrum consistes of EM frequencies between microwave and
visible light
Ultraviolet light - ✔✔✔part of the EM spectrum consists of frequencies above those of visible
light and below x-rays
X-rays - ✔✔✔have frequencies from about 10 to the 16th Hz to 10 to the 21 hz
Gamma rays - ✔✔✔have frequencies from about 10 to the 19th hz to 10 to the 24 hz
Incandesence - ✔✔✔the production of light by materials at high temperatures
Luminescence - ✔✔✔the production of light without the high temperatures needed for
incandescence
Bioluminescence - ✔✔✔the production of light by living organisms
Fluorescence - ✔✔✔occurs when a material absorbs EM radiation of one wave lenght, gives off
EM radiation of another
Transmission - ✔✔✔the passage of an EM wave through a medium
Absorption - ✔✔✔the dissapperance of an EM wave through a medium
Scattering - ✔✔✔speading out of light rays in all direction, but particles reflect and absorb the
light
Polarization - ✔✔✔a quality of light in which all of its waves vibrate in the same direction
Prism - ✔✔✔a tool that uses refraction to spead out the wavelenths that make up white light
Primary colors - ✔✔✔these threecolors of light which cna be mixed to produce all possible
colors
