| A | B |
|---|
| electromagnetic wave | a type of wave that does not require a medium to travel; a disturbance that transfers energy through a field |
| radiation | the transfer of energy across distances in the form of electromagnetic waves |
| electromagnetic spectrum | the range of all electromagnetic frequencies |
| radio waves | electromagnetic waves with the lowest frequencies |
| microwaves | electromagnetic waves with higher frequencies than radio waves, but lower frequencies than infrared waves |
| infrared light | EM waves with frequencies between microwaves and visible light |
| ultraviolet light | EM waves with frequencies above visible light and below x-rays |
| x-rays | EM waves with frequencies between ultraviolet light and gamma rays |
| gamma rays | electromagnetic waves with the highest frequencies |
| incandescence | the production of light by materials at high temperatures |
| luminescence | the production of light without the high temperatures needed for incandescence |
| bioluminescence | the production of light by living organisms |
| fluorescence | a phenomenon in which a material absorbs one wavelength of EM radiation and gives off another |
| transmission | the passage of a wave through a medium |
| absorption | the disappearance of a wave into a medium |
| polarization | a way of filtering light so that all of the waves vibrate in the same direction |
| prism | a tool that uses refraction to separate the wavelengths that make up light |
