Article
Article
Electromagnetic wave transmission
Article By:
Baird, Christopher S. Department of Chemistry and Physics, West Texas A&M University, Canyon, Texas.
Last reviewed:August 2021
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.222900
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The manner in which electromagnetic waves travel forward along a path. Electromagnetic waves consist of quantized, traveling, self-sustained, electromagnetic field fluctuations. The high speed of electromagnetic waves makes them useful in transmitting energy and information (see illustration). All forms of electromagnetic waves—including radio waves, infrared waves, visible light, ultraviolet rays, x-rays, and gamma rays—obey the same physical laws and propagate in the same way, in the form of electromagnetic radiation. See also: Electromagnetic field; Electromagnetic radiation; Electromagnetic wave; Electromagnetism; Energy; Gamma ray; Infrared radiation; Light; Ultraviolet radiation; X-ray
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