Science

• Electromagnetic waves, also known as EM waves or EM radiation, are created as a result of vibrations and are necessary for us to live.
• Electromagnetic waves are all around us and are used in most of the technological advances that we enjoy today.
• Wilhelm Edward Webber discovered that the ratio of electrostatic to electromagnetic unit equals the value of the speed of light, leading to the discovery that light is an electromagnetic wave.
• William Gilbert discovered in 1603 that the Earth is magnetic and theorized that electricity and magnetism are not the same, leading to the unit for magnetic potential being named after him.
• James Clerk Maxwell formulated four equations in 1861 that summarize everything about electricity and magnetism, which are known as Maxwell's equations.
• Albert Einstein formulated the concept of photoelectric effect in 1905, leading to him winning the 1921 Nobel Prize for Physics.
• The seven types of electromagnetic waves are arranged in an electromagnetic spectrum: radio waves, microwaves, infrared, visible light, ultraviolet, x-rays, and gamma rays.
• Charles Augustine de Coulomb formulated Coulomb's law in 1785, which relates the forces in between two charges and the distance in between them.
• Hans Christian Orsted discovered in 1820 that electricity and magnetism are two different fields, but also discovered that electricity could produce magnetism while teaching his students.
• Heinrich Hertz proved the existence of radio waves through his experiments in 1887, leading to the unit for frequency being named after him.
• Joseph Henry discovered electromagnetic induction in 1831, which is the production of electricity from magnetism.
• Electromagnetic waves are transverse waves, meaning the movement of the particles are perpendicular to the propagation of the wave.
• Radio waves, microwaves, infrared, ultraviolet, and visible light are different types of electromagnetic waves with different applications.
• The major applications of electromagnetic waves are usually the ones on the right side which are of higher frequency but of shorter wavelength, and these are used in the medical industry.
• As the solid or matter becomes more compact, the speed of light decreases and these materials are referred to as optically denser.
• X-rays, used for imaging, are a type of electromagnetic wave.
• An electromagnetic wave can pass through vacuum without requiring a medium to propagate.
• The speed of light in a vacuum is 3 times 10^8 meters per second.
• The speed of light is the highest speed possible and scientists haven't discovered any object or entity that can surpass this speed.
• The speed of light in kilometers per second varies depending on the medium where it is passing through.
• Infrared, ultraviolet, and visible light, which can be produced by the sun, are also types of electromagnetic waves.
• Gamma rays, used for treatment of cancer, are also a type of electromagnetic wave.
• A mechanical wave can pass through liquids, gases, and solids.
• The wavelength of a radio wave can be as long as a building while the wavelength of a gamma ray can be as small as a subatomic particle.
• The distance from the sun to the earth is 147.13 million kilometers and it would take approximately eight minutes for sunlight to reach earth.
• Electromagnetic waves are produced by a moving or oscillating charged particle, which can be either an electron, a negatively charged particle, or a proton, which is a positively charged particle.
• Electromagnetic waves do not require a medium to propagate and can travel at a speed of 3 times 10^8 meters per second.
• Electromagnetic waves can travel at the speed of light in a vacuum, but if there is no vacuum between the source of the em wave and the receiver of the em wave, the em wave will travel at a speed less than the speed of light in a vacuum.