Waves & Light

Electromagnetic energy travels through space in waves. The electromagnetic spectrum includes all electromagnetic waves, arranged according to frequency and wavelength. Which of these is an example of an electromagnetic wave?

• Radio Wave

• Sound Wave

• Ocean Wave

• Earthquake Wave

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Through which of these mediums do sound waves travel most slowly?

• Wood

• Water

• Cold Air

• Iron

The medium through which a mechanical wave passes can be a solid, a liquid, or a gas. Properties of a wave might change when it moves from one medium to another. What happens to the speed of a wave when it moves from a gas to a solid?

• It speeds up

• it slows down

• It remains the same

• it speeds up and then slows

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Electromagnetic energy travels in waves. These waves can vary in their frequencies and wavelengths. Electromagnetic energy is classified by the length and frequency of its wave. Of the four wave types below, which has the highest frequency?

• Microwaves

• Infrared waves

• gamma rays

• radio waves

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When you listen to the radio, watch TV, or cook food in a microwave, you are using a device that makes use of man-made electromagnetic waves. Which statement about electromagnetic waves is false?

• Electromagnetic waves travel at the speed of light in a vacuum.

• Electromagnetic waves need a medium to travel through.

• Different wavelengths of visible light are interpreted by our eyes as different colors.

• The transfer of energy as electromagnetic waves is called electromagnetic radiation.

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Heather puts a straw into a glass of water. She notices that the straw appears to be broken when she looks through the glass and the water from the side. Which term best explains why the straw looks like it is broken?

• reflection

• refraction

• diffraction

• interference

The visible part of the electromagnetic spectrum consists of the colors that we see in a rainbow. Different colors correspond to different wavelengths of light. Which color of visible light has the shortest wavelength?

• Red

• orange

• blue

• violet

The visible part of the electromagnetic spectrum consists of the colors we see in a rainbow. Which color of visible light has the longest wavelength?

• blue

• green

• red

• violet

What is a wave?

• a disturbance that transfers energy

• any type of energy that makes particles move

• any type of matter that vibrates back and forth

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Electromagnetic radiation is energy that travels in waves. Some examples of electromagnetic radiation are visible light, radio waves, and x-rays. What is true about visible light, radio waves, and x-rays?

• Visible light, radio waves, and x-rays all have the same energy in a vacuum.

• Visible light, radio waves, and x-rays all travel at the same speed in a vacuum.

• Visible light, radio waves, and x-rays all have the same wavelength.

• Visible light, radio waves, and x-rays all have the same frequency.