Electromagnetic waves consist of two waves oscillating perpendicular to each other. One is the oscillating electric field and the other one is an oscillating magnetic field. The direction of propagation of the wave is perpendicular to the electric field and the magnetic field. They are transverse waves and do not require a material medium for propagation.   Speed of Electromagnetic Waves: All electromagnetic waves travel at the same speed across space. That speed, called the speed of light, is 300 million meters per second (3.0  x 108 m/s). Nothing else in the universe is known to travel... Show more

Electromagnetic waves consist of two waves oscillating perpendicular to each other. One is the oscillating electric field and the other one is an oscillating magnetic field. The direction of propagation of the wave is perpendicular to the electric field and the magnetic field. They are transverse waves and do not require a material medium for propagation.
 

Speed of Electromagnetic Waves: All electromagnetic waves travel at the same speed across space. That speed, called the speed of light, is 300 million meters per second (3.0  x 108 m/s). Nothing else in the universe is known to travel this fast. If you could move that fast, you would be able to travel around Earth 7.5 times in just 1 second! The sun is about 150 million kilometers (93 million miles) from Earth, but it takes electromagnetic radiation only 8 minutes to reach Earth from the sun. Electromagnetic waves travel more slowly through a medium, and their speed may vary from one medium to another. For example, light travels more slowly through water than it does through air. If light passes from air to water at an angle, the light refracts, or changes direction, making it appear to bend.

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