Electromagnetic spectrum
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The electromagnetic spectrum is the complete range of electromagnetic radiation arranged by frequency, wavelength, or photon energy. It extends from very low-frequency radio waves to extremely energetic gamma rays.
Radio, microwave, infrared, visible, ultraviolet, X-ray, and gamma-ray regions overlap at their boundaries and are defined partly by how radiation is produced or detected. All propagate at the same speed in vacuum.
Frequency and wavelength are inversely related, while photon energy increases with frequency. Different parts of the spectrum interact with matter through rotation, vibration, electronic excitation, ionisation, nuclear processes, and other mechanisms.
The spectrum is used in communication, medicine, astronomy, chemistry, security, navigation, climate observation, and material analysis. Earth's atmosphere transmits some wavelength ranges and absorbs others, shaping ground-based observation.
Source details and credits
- Source / publisher: Wikipedia
- URL type: WWW
- Credits: Wikipedia
- URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electromagnetic_spectrum