Awesome Airwaves

Our universe is full of wonders. Among them are the amazing electromagnetic (e-LECtro-mag-NEH-tic) waves.

These occur when electricity and magnetism interact to carry energy through space.

Just about everything in the universe gives off these waves in all directions. They are all around us. So humans and objects on Earth and in space are natural sources of these electromagnetic waves.

Making waves

Through the years, scientists have discovered how we can make these invisible electromagnetic waves work for us. Scientists found that waves of different lengths do different things. Different wavelengths have different frequencies. The light and colors that we see are made by electromagnetic waves. When the waves are very close together, they have a high frequency. When they are far apart, they have a low frequency.

X-ray waves

If we make the wavelengths very close together with a very high frequency, we can make X-ray pictures that doctors use to see what’s going on inside our bodies.

Microwaves

If we make a wavelength longer, we can make the waves that cook our food in microwave ovens.

Radio waves

The longest waves of all are radio waves. While we call them “radio” waves, they are also used for TV and cellphones and other ways to communicate. For radios to work, you need a transmitter, broadcasting antenna, receiving antenna and receiver. The transmitter generates, or creates, the radio signal. The radio waves are sent out into the world. An antenna picks up the signal and passes it to the receiver. Our cellphones use RF waves, or radio frequency waves, that are on the spectrum between microwaves and FM radio waves.

Visible waves

The visible part of the electromagnetic wave spectrum creates the waves we see as colors.