Properties of Electromagnetic Waves

You should remember from GCSE that visible light is just a small part of a much bigger family of waves called the Electromagnetic Spectrum.

Radio	Microwaves	Infra Red	Visible Light	Ultra Violet	X Rays	Gamma Rays

These waves interact with matter in different ways. They have different properties and so have different uses. There are a few things that they have in common.

They travel at the same speed in a vacuum often called the speed of light.        c = 3 x 10⁸ m/s

They can travel through empty space, i.e. they do not need a medium.

Like all waves they have a frequency and a wavelength.