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Article: What wavelength are you on? (Chat-Reading Skills).
- Article from:
- Science World
- Article date:
- November 29, 2002
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2002 Scholastic, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Energy waves are all around you, although the only type humans can see is visible light--as colors from red to violet. But light rays are merely a small part of the electromagnetic spectrum--the entire range of electromagnetic energy, from long radio waves to short gamma rays.
Electromagnetic energy travels through space or matter as waves. Electromagnetic waves are characterized by wavelength and frequency.
Wavelength is the distance between wave crests.
Frequency is the number of waves that pass a given point per second. Increasing wavelengths correspond to decreasing frequencies. For example, infrared radiation has a longer wavelength than ...