What types of electromagnetic radiation are there? What happens when radiation hits an object?
In GCSE physics curriculum, white light can be split up into a spectrum of many different colours and visible light is just part of a continuous spectrum of electromagnetic radiation.
Light is one of a family of RADIATIONS called the ELECTROMAGNETIC SPECTRUM.
Please remember in GCSE physics, RADIATION is a type of transfer of energy.
A beam of electromagnetic radiation ‘packets’ of energy called PHOTONS – each photon carries a tiny quantity of energy of energy, but not all photons have the same amount of energy. The amount of energy carried by a photon depends on the FREQUENCY of the radiation.
In GCSE physics curriculum, you should know that the HIGHER the frequency of the electromagnetic radiation, the MORE energy is transferred by each photon.
ALL types of electromagnetic radiation travel at exactly the same, very high buy finite speed through space (a vacuum) of 300 000km/s.
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Drafted by Gina (Physics)