Long Waves to Short Waves

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This diagram shows six electromagnetic waves. Each wave corresponds with a colour within the visible spectrum that an observer might recognise.


Remember that:

Description

Long Waves to Short Waves

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About the diagram

About the diagram

This diagram shows six electromagnetic waves. Each wave corresponds with a colour within the visible spectrum that an observer might recognize.

Remember that:
  • Electromagnetic waves, which are a form of electromagnetic radiation, propagating from a light source, travel through space and encounter different materials.
  • Colour is not a property of electromagnetic radiation, but an aspect of visual perception.
  • A human observer can distinguish between colours corresponding with many thousands of wavelengths of light in the visible spectrum. These colours are often called spectral colours.
  • The largest part of the electromagnetic spectrum is outside the wavelengths of visible light and so invisible to a human observer.
  • Beyond red are infrared, microwaves and radio waves for example. Some radio waves have a wavelength longer than a kilometre (1000 metres).
  • Beyond violet are ultraviolet, X-rays, and gamma rays for example. Some gamma rays have a wavelength of one billionth part of a metre.
  • There are no properties of electromagnetic radiation that distinguish visible light from other parts of the electromagnetic spectrum.
  • Objects appear to be different colours to an observer depending on the wavelengths, frequencies and amplitude of visible light at the moment it strikes the retina at the back of the eye.

Some key terms

Visible light is the range of wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation perceived as colour by human observers.

The visible part of the electromagnetic spectrum is called the visible spectrum.

  • The visible spectrum is the range of wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum that correspond with all the different colours we see in the world.
  • As light travels through the air it is invisible to our eyes.
  • Human beings don’t see wavelengths of light, but they do see the spectral colours that correspond with each wavelength and colours produced when different wavelengths are combined.
  • The visible spectrum includes all the spectral colours between red and violet and each is produced by a single wavelength.
  • The visible spectrum is often divided into named colours, though any division of this kind is somewhat arbitrary.
  • Traditional colours referred to in English include red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet.

The electromagnetic spectrum includes electromagnetic waves with all possible wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation, ranging from low energy radio waves through visible light to high energy gamma rays.

The perception of colour by an observer results from properties of light that are visible to the human eye. The visual experience of colour is associated with terms like red, blue and yellow.

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