| A | B |
|---|
| electromagnetic waves | waves created by vibrating electric charges; can travel through vacuum or matter and have a wide range of frequencies and wavelengths |
| radiant energy | energy carried by electromagnetic waves |
| photon | particle that carries the elcetromagnetic force. Electromagnetic waves show particle behavior at times |
| radio waves | electromagnetic waves with a wavelength longer than 1mm; used for communications |
| microwaves | radio waves with wavelengths between 1 m and 1mm; used for communication and cooking |
| infrared waves | electromagnetic waves with a wavelength between about 1mm and 750nm. Humans sense these waves as heat |
| visible light | electromagnetic waves with wavelengths of 750 nm to 400. Humans can detect these differing wavelengths as various colors. |
| ultraviolet waves | electromagnetic waves with a wavelengths between 400 nm and 10 nm. UV waves can kill germs, damage human skin and cause some minerals to fluoresce |
| X rays | electromagnetic waves with a wavelengths between 10 nm and 10 pm (picometer, a trillionth of a meter). X rays are used for medical and industrial imaging |
| gamma rays | electromagnetic waves with wavelengths less than about 10 pm. Gamma rays sometimes used to treat cancer |
| carrier wave | specific frequency that a radio station is assigned and is uses to broadcast signals |
| cathode ray tube | sealed vacuum tube that produces one or more beams of electrons to produce an image when they strike the coating on the inside of the TV screen |
| transceiver | device that transmits one radio signal while receiving another radio signal at the same time, allowing acordless phone user to talk and listen at the same time |
| Global Positioning System (GPS) | a system of satellites and ground monitoring stations that enable a receiver to determine its location at or above the Earth's surface |
