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Study Guide: HiSET Science: Electromagnetic Waves and Electromagnetic Spectrum
Source: https://www.fatskills.com/high-school-equivalency-test-hiset/chapter/hiset-science-electromagnetic-waves-and-electromagnetic-spectrum

HiSET Science: Electromagnetic Waves and Electromagnetic Spectrum

By Fatskills Exam Guides Team — the exam nerds behind 28,500+ quizzes and 2.1M practice questions across 500+ global exams.

⏱️ ~1 min read

Electromagnetic Spectrum
The electromagnetic spectrum is the range of all wavelengths and frequencies of known electromagnetic waves. Visible light occupies only a small portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. Some of the common classifications of electromagnetic waves are listed in the table below with their approximate frequency ranges.

Classification - Freq. (Hz)
Gamma Rays - ~1019
X-Rays - ~1017 – 1018
Ultraviolet - ~1015 – 1016
Visible Light - ~1014
Infra-red - ~1011 – 1014
Microwaves - ~1010 – 1011
Radio/TV - ~106 – 109

Electromagnetic waves travel at the speed of light, c = 3 x 108 m/s. To find the wavelength of any electromagnetic wave, simply divide c by the frequency. Visible light occupies a range of wavelengths from approximately 380 nm (violet) to 740 nm
(red). The full spectrum of color can be found between these two wavelengths.



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