Topic Summaries

Electromagnetic waves

GCSE > Physics > AQA > GCSE Physics Topic Summaries > Electromagnetic waves > Electromagnetic waves
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Science skills: Measuring results

  • Electromagnetic waves are transverse waves that transfer energy from a source to an absorber.
  • The different types of electromagnetic waves form a continuous spectrum.
    • All electromagnetic waves will have the same speed in air or a vacuum.
    • This means that electromagnetic waves with larger wavelengths must have smaller frequencies.
Types of electromagnetic wave
Wave Approximate wavelength range
Gamma ray 10⁻¹² m to 10⁻¹⁰ m
X-ray 10⁻¹⁰ m to 10⁻⁸ m
Ultraviolet 10⁻⁹ m to 10⁻⁷ m
Visible light 10⁻⁷ m
Infrared 10⁻⁶ m to 10⁻⁴ m
Microwave 10⁻⁴ to 10⁻² m
Radio wave 10⁻² m to 10³ m

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