Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 1
Radio waves are a type of electromagnetic radiation best-known for their use in
communication technologies, such as television, mobile phones and radios. These
devices receive radio waves and convert them to mechanical vibrations in the speaker to create sound waves.
The radio-frequency spectrum is a relatively small part of the electromagnetic (EM)
spectrum. The EM spectrum is generally divided into seven regions in order of decreasing wavelength and increasing energy and frequency, according to the University of Rochester. The common designations are radio waves, microwaves, infrared (IR), visible light, ultraviolet (UV), X-rays and gamma-rays. Radio waves have the longest wavelengths in the EM spectrum, according to NASA, ranging from about 0.04 inches (1 millimeter) to more than 62 miles (100 kilometers). They also have the lowest frequencies, from about 3,000 cycles per second, or 3 kilohertz, up to about 300 billion hertz, or 300 gigahertz. The radio spectrum is a limited resource and is often compared to farmland. Just as farmers must organize their land to achieve the best harvest regarding quantity and variety, the radio spectrum must be split among users in the most efficient way, according to the British Broadcasting Corp. (BBC). In the U.S., the National Telecommunications and Information Administration within the United States Department of Commerce manages the frequency allocations along the radio spectrum.