Physics › Section R · Electromagnetic waves and geometric optics › Topic R.2
The electromagnetic spectrum and wave energy
Radio broadcasts, microwave ovens, rainbows, sunburn, X-ray images and gamma rays from the nucleus are all electromagnetic waves, told apart only by their frequency and wavelength. This topic maps that spectrum and shows how much energy such a wave carries.
In this topic
- One family, many names
- A map of the spectrum
- Worked example: wavelengths across the spectrum
- Radio waves and microwaves
- Infrared and visible light
- Ultraviolet, X-rays and gamma rays
- Energy in electromagnetic waves
- Intensity from the fields
- Worked example: the fields in sunlight
- Worked example: far from a transmitter
- Common mistakes to avoid
- Key takeaways
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