The Electromagnetic Spectrum

Energy and Waves The energy that comes from the sun is called electromagnetic radiation. This energy is carried by several waves with different wavelengths and frequencies. Long wavelength = Low frequency Short wavelength = High frequency Higher frequency = more energy

Types of Waves Radio Waves – radio broadcasts Microwaves – cell phones Infrared rays – heat lamps Visible light – what we see Ultraviolet rays – vitamin D X-rays – view bones and teeth Gamma rays – treat cancer Video

Visible Light Visible, white light includes all colors of the rainbow. ROYGBIV = red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet. The color of an object that we see is the color of light reflected. All other colors are absorbed. Video

Vocabulary Wavelength – the distance between the crest (top) of one wave and the crest of the next. Frequency – the number of waves that pass a given point in a certain amount of time.