Electromagnetic SpectrumHome page
The Electromagnetic Spectrum
How the waves fit into the spectrum
Radio waves
Microwaves
Infra-red
Visible Light
Ultra-violet
X-rays
Gamma rays
Quick Quiz

Electromagnetic Spectrum

Gamma Rays High frequency Short wavelength
0.01 nm
X-Rays   1 nm
Ultra-Violet 100 nm
Visible light 400-700 nm
Infra-Red 0.01 mm
Microwaves 1 cm
Radio waves Low frequency 1 m - 1km
Long wavelength

All of these are "electromagnetic waves". This means that although they appear to be very different, in fact they're all made of the same kind of vibrations - but at different frequencies.

You need to remember

the names of the waves,

the order they fit into the electromagnetic spectrum

which ones have the highest or lowest frequencies

they all travel at the speed of light (300 million m/s)

they can all travel across a vacuum


What does "frequency" mean?

The frequency of a wave is the number of waves per second.

What does "wavelength" mean?

The wavelength is the distance from the peak of one wave to the next one.