The relationship between electromagnetic radiation, its frequency, and wavelength is fundamental and can be summarized as follows:
- Electromagnetic radiation travels as waves, characterized by their wavelength (the distance between two peaks) and frequency (how many waves pass a point per second).
- The wavelength and frequency are inversely related:
- When the wavelength increases, the frequency decreases.
- When the wavelength decreases, the frequency increases.
- Despite this change, the speed of electromagnetic waves in a vacuum is constant (about 3 × 10⁸ meters per second).
- This means the product of wavelength and frequency always equals the speed of light:
speed of light = wavelength × frequency
Key point:
- Higher frequency → shorter wavelength → higher energy
- Lower frequency → longer wavelength → lower energy
This inverse relationship explains why different parts of the electromagnetic spectrum (like radio waves vs. gamma rays) have vastly different properties.