What is the Electromagnetic Spectrum Anyway?
Radiation is more than just the invisible stuff that nuclear bombs leave behind. Ultraviolet, microwave, infrared, FM radio signals, visible light; These are all considered radiation. The EM spectrum refers to all of the different types of radiation that exist. It arranges these types of radiation in order by their wavelengths. The wavelength of a wave is the distance between 2 consecutive peaks. Radiation in the EM spectrum is made up of waves that contain an Electric field and a Magnetic field (see figure below). EM radiation is naturally transmitted by stars (including our sun), travels at the speed of light, and can vary in wavelengths from 0.000000000001 meter (Gamma rays) to 10,000 m (television & radio)! In theory, the possible wavelengths extend in size to infinitely large and small. The frequency of a wave may be defined by how often the wave peaks pass a fixed point in space in 1 second. For example, 1 peak/second = 1 Hz; 10 peaks/second = 10 Hz. The frequency of any wave can
