Electromagnetic Waves - Study Guide
How do electromagnetic waves begin?
An electromagnetic wave begins when an electrically charged particle vibrates, causing the electric field surrounding it to vibrate as well. The electric field then creates a vibrating magnetic field. Both the electric field and magnetic field combine to create an electromagnetic wave.
We use electromagnetic waves for _____, _____, _____, and many other purposes.
communications, cooking, medicine
The energy of an electromagnetic wave is _____ as it spreads out over an ever-larger area as it travels away from the source.
diluted
An _____ is an area of electrical force surrounding a charged particle.
electric field
____ is the transfer of energy by waves traveling through matter or across empty space.
electromagnetic radiation
An _____ is a wave that consists of vibrating electric and magnetic fields.
electromagnetic waves
The amount of energy in a photon depends on the _____of electromagnetic radiation.
frequency
Examples of electromagnetic radiation include ____ and ____.
infrared light, visible light
When electromagnetic waves interact with _____, they may also convert to other forms of energy.
matter
According to Eisntein's Wave-Particle Theory, when an electron returns to a lower energy level, it is thought to give off a tiny "packet" of energy called a _____.
photon
Many other sources of electromagnetic waves that people use depend on technology, such as _____, _____, and _____.
radio waves, microwaves, X-rays
Electromagnetic waves interact with matter through _____, _____, and _____.
reflection, refraction, diffraction
The electric and magnetic fields that make up an electromagnetic wave occur are at _____ angles to each other.
right
The most important source of electromagnetic radiation on Earth is the _____.
sun
Electromagnetic waves are ____ waves that can travel across space without a medium.
transverse
Einstein's _____ explains how electromagnetic radiation can behave as both a wave and a particle.
wave-particle theory
