Electromagnetic Wave Converter

The electromagnetic spectrum is continuous, ranging from very long wavelength, low-frequency radio waves to extremely short wavelength, high-frequency gamma rays. Visible light (what humans see) is only a tiny portion of this spectrum, typically from about 400 nm (violet) to 700 nm (red).

A cornerstone of Einstein's theory of special relativity is that the speed of light in a vacuum ('c') is constant for all observers, regardless of the motion of the light source or the observer.

Electromagnetic radiation exhibits wave-particle duality, meaning it behaves as both a wave (characterized by wavelength and frequency) and a particle (photons, characterized by energy).

The Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) is faint cosmic background radiation filling all space. It is an important source of data on the early universe because it is the oldest electromagnetic radiation in the universe, dating to the epoch of recombination.

Polarizing filters, used in sunglasses and camera lenses, work by blocking electromagnetic waves that have a specific orientation (polarization), reducing glare reflected from surfaces like water or glass.

This is the blue glow seen in nuclear reactors. It's a type of electromagnetic radiation produced when a charged particle passes through a dielectric medium (like water) at a speed greater than the phase velocity of light in that medium.

The physical size of a radio antenna is directly related to the wavelength of the radio waves it is designed to transmit or receive. Typically, an effective antenna (like a half-wave dipole) is about half the length of the wavelength.

The Earth's atmosphere is opaque to most of the electromagnetic spectrum, but it has 'windows' of transparency. The 'optical window' lets visible light through, and the 'radio window' lets many radio frequencies pass, which is why ground-based astronomy is focused on these ranges.

The Doppler effect also applies to light. Light from an object moving away from us is shifted to longer wavelengths ('redshift'), while light from an object moving towards us is shifted to shorter wavelengths ('blueshift'). This is a key tool in astronomy.

Microwave ovens use a specific frequency of microwaves (~2.45 GHz) that is strongly absorbed by water molecules. This absorption causes the water in food to heat up rapidly, cooking the food from the inside out.

Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are the most energetic electromagnetic events known to occur in the universe. They can release as much energy in a few seconds as the Sun will in its entire 10-billion-year lifetime.

Infrared cameras detect thermal radiation instead of visible light. This allows them to 'see' heat signatures, making them useful for night vision, building insulation inspections, and medical diagnostics.

Explained by Albert Einstein, the photoelectric effect is the emission of electrons when light shines on a material. It demonstrates the particle nature of light (photons), as only photons with sufficient energy (high enough frequency) can knock electrons loose.

In the 1860s, James Clerk Maxwell developed a set of equations that unified electricity, magnetism, and optics, predicting the existence of electromagnetic waves that travel at the speed of light. This was one of the greatest achievements in the history of physics.

This law states that the peak wavelength of thermal radiation emitted by a black body is inversely proportional to its temperature. This is why a heated piece of metal first glows red, then orange, then white as its temperature increases.

The angstrom (Å) is a unit of length equal to 10⁻¹⁰ meters (0.1 nanometers). It's not an SI unit but is still sometimes used in spectroscopy and crystallography to describe atomic-scale distances and wavelengths.

When polarized light passes through a material in the presence of a magnetic field parallel to the light's direction, its plane of polarization rotates. This effect, known as Faraday rotation, is used in optical isolators and sensors.

Electronvolts (eV) are a unit of energy, but in high-energy physics, they are often used to describe mass (via E=mc²) or even temperature (via E=kT). It's a convenient way to link different physical properties in the quantum realm.