The Spectrum

From radio to gamma rays

An interactive lesson with 6 steps, about 5 minutes: you predict, drag and solve, with instant feedback on every answer. It runs in your browser and needs JavaScript.

What you’ll learn

• Radio, microwaves, infrared, visible, UV, X-rays and gamma rays are all EM waves.
• $c = f\lambda$. Visible light spans about 400–700 nm.
• Photon energy $E = hf$: high-frequency photons can break chemical bonds.

Steps

1. One wave, many names
2. An FM station
3. Photons
4. Wi-Fi wavelength
5. An X-ray photon
6. Which can damage cells?