Electromagnetic waves and radar - CCEACommon properties

Electromagnetic waves are members of a family of waves with common properties called the electromagnetic spectrum.

All electromagnetic waves:

• are transverse waves;
• can travel through a vacuum;
• travel at exactly the same speed in a vacuum, the speed of light, 300,000,000 m/s.

Like all waves, electromagnetic waves:

• transfer energy from one place to another;
• can be reflected.

Differences

Each type of wave in the electromagnetic spectrum has different:

• wavelength;
• frequency.