What are electromagnetic waves ?
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Light, microwaves, x-rays, and TV and radio transmissions are all
kinds of electromagnetic waves. They are all the same
kind of wavy disturbance that repeats itself over a distance
called the wavelength.
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The different names refer to different wavelengths, as shown in
the demo below.
Use the mouse to move the slider and change the
wavelength. Drawings are not to scale. |
I know what water waves are, but here
there is no water!
So what's the wave made of?
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The wave, or "disturbance," is in an invisible thing called the electric force field.
To understand electric forces, we have to learn something about charged particles
like electrons and protons.
Without these charged particles, there can be no electric force
fields and thus no
electromagnetic waves.
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