Anatomy of An Electromagnetic Wave - Science Mission Directorate

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Tour of the Electromagnetic

Spectrum
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Anatomy of an Electromagnetic
Wave
Energy, a measure of the ability to do work, comes in many forms
and can transform from one type to another. Examples of stored or
potential energy include batteries and water behind a dam. Objects
in motion are examples of kinetic energy. Charged particles—such
as electrons and protons—create electromagnetic elds when they
move, and these elds transport the type of energy we call
electromagnetic radiation, or light.
What are Electromagnetic and

Mechanical waves?
Mechanical waves and electromagnetic waves
are two important ways that energy is
transported in the world around us. Waves in
water and sound waves in air are two examples
of mechanical waves. Mechanical waves are
caused by a disturbance or vibration in matter,
whether solid, gas, liquid, or plasma. Matter that waves are traveling
through is called a medium. Water waves are formed by vibrations
in a liquid and sound waves are formed by vibrations in a gas (air).
These mechanical waves travel through a medium by causing the
molecules to bump into each other, like falling dominoes
transferring energy from one to the next. Sound waves cannot travel
in the vacuum of space because there is no medium to transmit
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these mechanical waves. 
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Classical waves transfer energy without

transporting matter through the medium. Waves
in a pond do not carry the water molecules from
place to place; rather the wave's energy travels
through the water, leaving the water molecules
in place, much like a bug bobbing on top of
ripples in water.
ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVES
Electricity can be static, like the energy that can make your hair
stand on end. Magnetism can also be static, as it is in a
refrigerator magnet. A changing magnetic eld will induce a
changing electric eld and vice-versa—the two are linked. These
changing elds form electromagnetic waves. Electromagnetic
waves di er from mechanical waves in that they do not require a When a balloon
is rubbed
medium to propagate. This means that electromagnetic waves against a head
of hair, astatic
can travel not only through air and solid materials, but also electric charge
is created
through the vacuum of space. causing their
individual hairs
to repel one
In the 1860's and 1870's, a Scottish scientist named James Clerk another. Credit:
Ginger Butcher
Maxwell developed a scienti c theory to explain electromagnetic
waves. He noticed that electrical elds and magnetic elds can
couple together to form electromagnetic waves. He summarized
this relationship between electricity and magnetism into what are
now referred to as "Maxwell's Equations."
Heinrich Hertz, a German physicist, applied

Maxwell's theories to the production and
reception of radio waves. The unit of
frequency of a radio wave -- one cycle per
second -- is named the hertz, in honor of
Heinrich Hertz.
His experiment with radio waves solved two
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concrete, what Maxwell had only theorized —
that the velocity of radio waves was equal to
the velocity of light! This proved that radio
waves were a form of light! Second, Hertz
found out how to make the electric and
magnetic elds detach themselves from wires
and go free as Maxwell's waves — electromagnetic waves.

WAVES OR PARTICLES? YES!
Light is made of discrete packets of energy called photons. Photons
carry momentum, have no mass, and travel at the speed of light. All
light has both particle-like and wave-like properties. How an
instrument is designed to sense the light in uences which of these
properties are observed. An instrument that di racts light into a
spectrum for analysis is an example of observing the wave-like
property of light. The particle-like nature of light is observed by
detectors used in digital cameras—individual photons liberate
electrons that are used for the detection and storage of the image
data.
POLARIZATION
One of the physical properties of light is that it can be polarized.
Polarization is a measurement of the electromagnetic eld's
alignment. In the gure above, the electric eld (in red) is vertically
polarized. Think of a throwing a Frisbee at a picket fence. In one
orientation it will pass through, in another it will be rejected. This is
similar to how sunglasses are able to eliminate glare by absorbing
the polarized portion of the light.
DESCRIBING ELECTROMAGNETIC ENERGY

The terms light, electromagnetic waves, and radiation all refer to
the same physical phenomenon: electromagnetic energy. This
energy can be described by frequency, wavelength, or energy. All
three are related mathematically such that if you know one, you can
calculate the other two. Radio and microwaves are usually
described in terms of frequency (Hertz), infrared and visible light in
terms ofNASA SCIENCE
wavelength (meters), and x-rays and gamma rays in terms 
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of energy (electron volts). This is a scienti c convention that allows
the convenient use of units that have numbers that are neither too
large nor too small.
FREQUENCY
The number of crests that pass a given point within one second is
described as the frequency of the wave. One wave—or cycle—per
second is called a Hertz (Hz), after Heinrich Hertz who established
the existence of radio waves. A wave with two cycles that pass a
point in one second has a frequency of 2 Hz.
WAVELENGTH
Electromagnetic waves have crests and
troughs similar to those of ocean waves. The
distance between crests is the wavelength.
The shortest wavelengths are just fractions of
the size of an atom, while the longest
wavelengths scientists currently study can be
larger than the diameter of our planet!

ENERGY
An electromagnetic wave can also be
described in terms of its energy—in units of
measure called electron volts (eV). An
electron volt is the amount of kinetic energy
needed to move an electron through one volt
potential. Moving along the spectrum from
long to short wavelengths, energy increases
as the wavelength shortens. Consider a jump
rope with its ends being pulled up and down. More energy is
needed to make the rope have more waves.
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Citation
APA
NASA SCIENCE
National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Science Mission Directorate. (2010). Anatomy of an

SHAREWave.
Electromagnetic THE SCIENCE
Retrieved [insert date - e.g. August 10, 2016], from NASA Science website:
http://science.nasa.gov/ems/02_anatomy
MLA
Science Mission Directorate. "Anatomy of an Electromagnetic Wave" NASA Science. 2010. National
Aeronautics and Space Administration. [insert date - e.g. 10 Aug. 2016]
http://science.nasa.gov/ems/02_anatomy
Electromagnetic Spectrum Series

 Series Homepage
 Introduction
 Anatomy
 Wave Behaviors
 Visualization
 Radio Waves
 Microwaves
 Infrared Waves
 Re ected Near-Infrared
 Visible Light
 Ultraviolet Waves
 X-Rays
 Gamma Rays
 Earth's Radiation Budget
Companion Book & Materials

 Download the EMS book (7MB PDF)
 Activity - Exploring Remote Sensing (PDF)
 Diagram of the Electromagnetic Spectrum
i
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Last updated: December 30, 2020

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What are the differences between mechanical and electromagnetic waves?

What are the differences between mechanical and electromagnetic waves?

How do electromagnetic waves propagate?

How do electromagnetic waves propagate?

NASA SCIENCE 

SHARE THE SCIENCE

Tour of the Electromagnetic

What are Electromagnetic and

Classical waves transfer energy without

Heinrich Hertz, a German physicist, applied

DESCRIBING ELECTROMAGNETIC ENERGY

Top of Page | Next: Wave Behaviors

Aeronautics and Space Administration. [insert date - e.g. 10 Aug. 2016]

Electromagnetic Spectrum Series

Companion Book & Materials

The Space We Travel On the Cusp of

The Space We Travel A Decade of Sun

Sign up for Our Newsletters

DISCOVER SCIENCE NEWS

FOR RESEARCHERS LEARNERS

GET INVOLVED ABOUT US

NASA.GOV  | PRIVACY  | CONTACT US | GLOSSARY | CIENCIA.NASA.GOV 

NASA Official: Dr. Mamta Patel Nagaraja

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