Radio waves Are the lowest-frequency waves in the EM spectrum. Radio waves can be used to carry other signals to receivers that subsequently translate these signals into usable information. Many objects, both natural and man-made, emit radio waves. Anything that emits heat emits radiation across the entire spectrum, but in different amounts. Stars, planets and other cosmic bodies emit radio waves. Radio and television stations and cellphone companies all produce radio waves that carry signals to be received by the antennae in your television, radio or cellphone. Are a type of electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths in the electromagnetic spectrum longer than infrared light.Radio waveshave frequencies from 300 GHz to as low as 3 kHz, and corresponding wavelengths ranging from 1 millimeter (0.039 in) to 100 kilometers (62 mi).

Radio waves are made by various types oftransmitter,depending on the wavelength. They are also given off by stars, sparks and lightning, which is why you hear interference on your radio in a thunderstorm.

Microwaves Microwaves are the second-lowest frequency waves in the EM spectrum. Whereas radio waves can be up to a mile in length, microwaves measure from a few centimeters up to a foot. Due to their higher frequency, microwaves can carry information through obstacles that interfere with radio waves such as clouds, smoke and rain. Microwaves are used for radar, landline phone calls and the transmission of computer data. Microwave remnants of the "Big Bang" radiate from all directions throughout the universe. Microwavesare a form ofelectromagnetic radiationwithwavelengthsranging from as long as one meter to as short as one millimeter; withfrequenciesbetween 300MHz (100cm) and 300GHz (0.1cm).[1][2]This broad definition includes bothUHFandEHF(millimeter waves), and various sources use different boundaries. In all cases, microwave includes the entireSHFband (3 to 30GHz, or 10 to 1cm) at minimum, withRF engineeringoften restricting the range between 1 and 100GHz (300 and 3mm). Microwaves are a type of electromagnetic radiation, as are radio waves, ultraviolet radiation, X-rays and gamma-rays. Microwaves have a range of applications, including communications, radar and, perhaps best known by most people, cooking.Microwaves have frequencies ranging from about 3 billion cycles per second, or 3 gigahertz (GHz), up to about 30 trillion hertz (terahertz or THz) and wavelengths of about 30 centimeters (12 inches) to 3 millimeters (0.12 inches), although these values are not definitive. This region is further divided into a number of bands, designated as L, S, C, X and K.

Infrared Waves Infrared waves are in the lower-middle range of frequencies in the EM spectrum, between microwaves and visible light. The size of infrared waves ranges from a few millimeters down to microscopic lengths. The longer-wavelength infrared waves produce heat and include radiation emitted by fire, the sun and other heat-producing objects; shorter-wavelength infrared rays do not produce much heat and are used in remote controls and imaging technologies. Infrared radiationis a type of electromagneticradiation, as are radiowaves, ultravioletradiation, X-rays and microwaves.Infrared(IR) light is the part of the EM spectrum that people encounter most in everyday life, although much of it goes unnoticed. It is invisible to human eyes, but people can feel it as heat.Mar 26, 2015Infrared lightlies between the visible and microwave portions of the electromagnetic spectrum. Infrared light has a range of wavelengths, just like visible light has wavelengths that range from red light to violet. "Near infrared" light is closest in wavelength to visible light and "far infrared" is closer to the microwave region of the electromagnetic spectrum. The longer, far infrared wavelengths are about the size of a pin head and the shorter, near infrared ones are the size of cells, or are microscopic. Visible Light Rays Visible light waves are radiation that you can see with your naked eye. The different frequencies of visible light are experienced by people as the colors of the rainbow. The frequencies move from the lower wavelengths, detected as reds, up to the higher visible wavelengths, detected as violet hues. The most noticeable natural source of visible light is, of course, the sun. Objects are perceived as different colors based on which wavelengths of light an object absorbs and which it reflects. Visible light waves are the only electromagnetic waves we can see. We see these waves as the colors of the rainbow. Each color has a different wavelength. Red has the longest wavelength and violet has the shortest wavelength. When all the waves are seen together, they make white light.When white light shines through a prism, the white light is broken apart into the colors of the visible light spectrum. Water vapor in the atmosphere can also break apart wavelengths creating a rainbow. Visible light is a form ofelectromagnetic(EM) radiation, as are radio waves, infrared radiation, ultraviolet radiation, X-rays and microwaves.Generally, visible light is defined as the wavelengths that are visible to most human eyes.EM radiation is transmitted in waves or particles at different wavelengths and frequencies. This broad range of wavelengths is known as theelectromagnetic spectrum. That spectrum is typically divided into seven regions in order of decreasing wavelength and increasing energy and frequency. The common designations are radio waves, microwaves, infrared (IR), visible light, ultraviolet (UV), X-rays and gamma-rays.Visible light falls in the range of the EM spectrum between infrared (IR) and ultraviolet (UV). It has frequencies of about 4 1014to 8 1014cycles per second, or hertz (Hz) and wavelengths of about 740 nanometers (nm) or 2.9 105inches, to 380 nm (1.5 105inches).Ultraviolet Waves Ultraviolet waves have even shorter wavelengths than visible light. UV waves are the cause of sunburn and can cause cancer in living organisms. High-temperature processes emit UV rays; these can be detected throughout the universe from every star in the sky. Detecting UV waves assists astronomers, for example, in learning about the structure of galaxies. Ultraviolet(UV) light is anelectromagnetic radiationwith awavelengthfrom 400nm to 100nm, shorter than that ofvisible lightbut longer thanX-rays. Though usually invisible, under some conditions children and young adults can see ultraviolet down to wavelengths of about 310nm,[1][2]and people withaphakia(missing lens) can also see some UV wavelengths. Near-UV is visible to a number of insects andbirds. Ultraviolet radiation (also known as UV radiation or ultraviolet rays) is a form of energy traveling through space.Some of the most frequently recognized types of energy are heat and light. These, along with others, can be classified as a phenomenon known aselectromagnetic radiation. Other types of electromagnetic radiation are gamma rays, X-rays,visible light, infrared rays, and radio waves. The progression of electromagnetic radiation through space can be visualized in different ways. Some experiments suggest that these rays travel in the form of waves. A physicist can actually measure the length of those waves (simply called theirwavelength).It turns out that a smaller wavelength means more energy. At other times, it is more plausible to describe electromagnetic radiation as being contained and traveling in little packets, calledphotons.

X-ray Waves X-rays are extremely high-energy waves with wavelengths between 0.03 and 3 nanometers -- not much longer than an atom. X-rays are emitted by sources producing very high temperatures like the sun's corona, which is much hotter than the surface of the sun. Natural sources of x-rays include enormously energetic cosmic phenomena such as pulsars, supernovae and black holes. X-rays are commonly used in imaging technology to view bone structures within the body. As the wavelengths of light decrease, they increase in energy. X-rays have smaller wavelengths and therefore higher energy than ultraviolet waves. We usually talk about X-rays in terms of their energy rather than wavelength. This is partially because X-rays have very small wavelengths. It is also because X-ray light tends to act more like a particle than a wave. X-ray detectors collect actual photons of X-ray light - which is very different from the radio telescopes that have large dishes designed to focus radio waves!X-rays were first observed and documented in 1895 by Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen, a German scientist who found them quite by accident when experimenting with vacuum tubes. Radiation(composed ofX-rays) is a form ofelectromagnetic radiation. Most X-rays have awavelengthranging from 0.01 to 10nanometers, corresponding tofrequenciesin the range 30petahertzto 30exahertz(31016Hz to 31019Hz) and energies in the range 100eVto 100keV. X-ray wavelengths are shorter than those ofUVrays and typically longer than those ofgamma rays. In many languages, X-radiation is referred to with terms meaningRntgen radiation, afterWilhelm Rntgen,[1]who is usually credited as its discoverer, and who had named itX-radiationto signify an unknown type of radiation.[2]Spelling ofX-ray(s)in the English language includes the variantsx-ray(s),xray(s)andX ray(s).[3] Gamma Rays Gamma waves are the highest-frequency EM waves, and are emitted by only the most energetic cosmic objects such pulsars, neutron stars, supernova and black holes. Terrestrial sources include lightning, nuclear explosions and radioactive decay. Gamma wave wavelengths are measured on the subatomic level and can actually pass through the empty space within an atom. Gamma rays can destroy living cells; fortunately, the Earth's atmosphere absorbs any gamma rays that reach the planet Gamma radiation, also known asgamma rays,and denoted by the Greek letter, refers toelectromagnetic radiationof an extremely high frequency and therefore consists of high-energyphotons. Gamma rays areionizing radiation, and are thus biologically hazardous. They are classically produced by the decay ofatomic nucleias they transition from a high energy state to a lower state known asgamma decay, but may also be produced by other processes.Paul Villard, a French chemist and physicist, discovered gamma radiation in 1900, while studying radiation emitted fromradium. Villard's radiation was named "gamma rays" byErnest Rutherfordin 1903. Gamma-rays have the smallest wavelengths and the most energy of any other wave in the electromagnetic spectrum. These waves are generated by radioactive atoms and in nuclear explosions. Gamma-rays can kill living cells, a fact which medicine uses to its advantage, using gamma-rays to kill cancerous cells.Gamma-rays travel to us across vast distances of the universe, only to be absorbed by the Earth's atmosphere. Different wavelengths of light penetrate the Earth's atmosphere to different depths. Instruments aboard high-altitude balloons and satellites like the Compton Observatory provide our only view of the gamma-ray sky

7 Types of Electromagnetic Waves