Summary

• A wave is a disturbance that transfers energy.

• Electromagnetic wave is a disturbance in a field that needs no
material medium.
• James Clerk Maxwell formulated the Electromagnetic Wave Theory
which says that an oscillating electric current should be capable of
radiating energy in the form of electromagnetic waves.
• Heinrich Hertz discovered the Hertzian waves which is now known
as radio waves.
• Hertz is the unit used to measure the frequency of waves.
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EM waves can travel through a vacuum.
EM waves travel at the speed of light (c = 3.0 x 108 m/s).
EM waves are disturbances in a field rather than in a medium.
EM waves have an electric field that travels perpendicular with
the magnetic field.
EM waves form when moving charged particles transfer energy
through a field.
• Most EM waves are invisible to the eye but detectable. Only the
visible light is seen by humans. Some animals see infrared and UV
light.
• Waves in the EM spectrum include the following from the longest
wavelength to the shortest wavelength: ,
Radio waves
Microwaves
Infrared waves
Visible light
- Ultraviolet
X-rays
Gamma rays

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