EM WAVES
Electromagnetic waves are a very unique set of waves. All EM waves can travel through empty space. That's why the sun's light reaches earth! EM waves consists of vibrating electric and magnetic fields that are perpendicular to each other. There are 3 steps that are required for an EM wave to be formed. First a charged object vibrates, this allows for its electric field to vibrate as well. Next, since the electric field is vibrating a magnetic field is formed. These two fields vibrating perpendicular to each other form an EM wave with the same energy from the vibration of the original charged object.
FUN FACTS
- Radiation is actually just the transfer of energy as an EM wave
- The speed of all EM waves in empty space is the same
- The speed of all EM waves in a vacuum is 300,000 km/s or 300,000,000 m/s
- If somebody could run at the speed of an EM wave, they could run around the earth 7.5 times in only one second
- Not all of the sun's energy reach's all the planets in the solar system
- It takes light from the sun to reach earth 8.3 minutes
- Earth is 150,000,000 km away from the sun (the formula for calculating the distance is [D=T*S]