Electromagnetic Spectrum & Communication Explorer

Drag a marker across the whole EM spectrum to read the wavelength, frequency, uses and effects on living cells of each region, with the selected wave compared with an everyday object of the same size.

SEC G3 Physics 2027

Learning goals

State that all electromagnetic waves are transverse
State that all electromagnetic waves travel at the same speed in vacuum
Order the seven electromagnetic-spectrum regions
Relate spectrum order to wavelength and frequency
State typical uses of radio waves

Learning objectives

State that all electromagnetic waves are transverse
State that all electromagnetic waves travel at the same speed in vacuum
Order the seven electromagnetic-spectrum regions
Relate spectrum order to wavelength and frequency
State typical uses of radio waves
State typical uses of microwaves
State typical uses of infrared
State typical uses of visible light
State typical uses of ultraviolet
State typical uses of X-rays
State typical uses of gamma rays
Describe hazardous heating effects of electromagnetic over-exposure
Describe hazardous ionising effects on living cells and tissue

Region: Radio waves
Wavelength, λ: 302 m
Frequency, f: 9.93 × 10⁵ Hz
f × λ: 3.00 × 10⁸ m/s
Uses: Radio and TV, astronomy, RFID tags
Effect on living cells: Little effect at everyday levels

Frequency against wavelength (powers of ten)

Try this

0 of 4 done

Tune to 100 MHz, the frequency of an FM radio station. (not done yet)
Find the region used for satellite TV and mobile phones. (not done yet)
Find the lowest-frequency region that can ionise atoms in living cells. (not done yet)
Visit both ends of the spectrum and watch f × λ. (not done yet)

Does this count towards my progress?