How do radio waves differ from visible light?

Question

Benjamin Asiedu · Accepted Answer

The frequencies and wavelengths are different as well as the way you produce the two.

Radio waves like the one you select to listen in your radio have frequencies in the MHz (mega-hertz, #10^6#) region and relatively long wavelengths while light in the visible have higher frequency (#~~10^15Hz#) and smaller wavelengths:

Also, to produce a radio wave you use an antenna that is a piece of conducting wire where you can put the electrons in motion up and down as in a block-spring motion. The electron oscillates up and down and being a charged particle (accelerated in the oscillation) it emits radiation...basically you connect the antenna to a power supply (plus some capacitor and inductor) and through the motion of the electron in the antenna you "transmit" the energy from the power supply into the atmosphere (or vacuum if you like) in form of a radio wave.

Light, and visible light in particular, is a bit more tricky...here you need an electron inside an atom that on receiving energy "jumps" from an orbital to another and when comes back (it has to!) re-emits the energy it received previously as light. It is again an electron going up and down as in the antenna but a bit more microscopic!

Hope it helps!

Adam Arnold · Answer

undefined Radio waves have longer wavelengths and lower frequencies than visible light. Visible light falls within a small portion of the electromagnetic spectrum, while radio waves cover a broader range.

Xavier Adame · Answer

undefined Radio waves have longer wavelengths and lower frequencies compared to visible light. Additionally, radio waves are capable of traveling longer distances and penetrating obstacles more effectively than visible light.

Sebastian Acosta · Answer

undefined Radio waves have longer wavelengths and lower frequencies compared to visible light. They belong to the electromagnetic spectrum, just like visible light, but they occupy a different portion of it. While visible light ranges from approximately 400 to 700 nanometers in wavelength, radio waves have wavelengths ranging from a few millimeters to several kilometers. Additionally, radio waves are used for communication over long distances, such as in radio broadcasting and telecommunications, while visible light is responsible for the sensation of sight and is used in optical communication systems like fiber optics.