Electromagnetism, Frequency, and Wavelength

Electromagnetism, Frequency, and Wavelength

A traveling wave, in both space and time, is made up of electric and magnetic energy. Electromagnetic (EM) waves are arranged by both wavelength and frequency. Frequency and wavelength are inversely proportional to each other multiplied by the speed of light. (Wavelength is the ratio of light speed and frequency and vice versa, frequency is the ratio of light speed and wavelength.)

Frequency is quantified as 1 vibration per second or 1 cycle per second (1 Hz). Therefore, freq is related to time. Freq is the direct inverse of a period of time. 1 period of time is the time it takes for 1 vibration or 1 cycle to be completed, and then it continues to repeat!

Wavelength is a spatial dimension, a measurement of the length of 1 period of the wave. Wavelength also repeats at the end of each vibration or cycle.

Sound and Light are also electromagnetic waves that travel in both space and time. They are specific frequencies that we are designed to hear and see with our "built-in receivers". 

Sound waves require a carrier medium to travel through to be received and heard. The carrier medium helps keep the sound waves vibrating until they reach a receiver with the same frequency that will “hear” the sound waves. In other words, sound waves keep vibrating in the air (or medium) from wherever transmitted until they reach a receiver that is tuned into the right frequencies to pick them up. The most common medium is air, but water, glass, wood (walls), a string, or anything can help sound carry through. Foam or paper cups connected with a string are a great example of the string carrying the sound waves from one cup to the other. Outer space is a vacuum, so we can’t hear sound or vibrations in outer space! 

On the other hand, light waves don't need a carrier medium to travel through for us to see. That's why the speed of light is much faster than the speed of sound!

Moreover, sound waves are audible and quantified by their low frequencies and long wavelengths, and they lie in the radio wave spectrum, as shown in the image below. While Light waves are quantified by their wavelengths because they have very high frequencies, and they lie in the visible wave spectrum between infrared and ultraviolet waves, as shown in the image below. 

The Electromagnetic Spectrum

The Electromagnetic (EM) Spectrum is also widely known as the Frequency Spectrum, where electromagnetic waves are mainly categorized or arranged by their frequency. Only a few represent the EM spectrum in terms of the wavelength - represented by the small Greek letter lambda.

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