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electromagnetic radiation Encyclopędia Britannica Article
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in terms of classical theory, the flow of energy at the universal speed of light through free space or through a material medium in the form of the electric and magnetic fields that make up electromagnetic waves such as radio waves, visible light, and gamma rays. In such a wave, time-varying electric and magnetic fields are mutually linked with each other at right angles
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Contents of this article: Introduction General considerations Occurrence and importance The electromagnetic spectrum Generation of electromagnetic radiation Continuous spectra of electromagnetic radiation Discrete-frequency sources and absorbers of electromagnetic radiation Properties and behaviour Scattering, reflection, and refraction Superposition and interference Propagation and coherence Speed of electromagnetic radiation and the Doppler effect Cosmic background electromagnetic radiation Effect of gravitation The greenhouse effect of the atmosphere Forms of electromagnetic radiation Radio waves Microwaves Infrared radiation Visible radiation Ultraviolet radiation X rays Gamma rays Historical survey Development of the classical radiation theory Wave theory and corpuscular theory Relation between electricity and magnetism The electromagnetic wave and field concept Speed of light Development of the quantum theory of radiation Radiation laws and Planck's light quanta Photoelectric effect Compton effect Resonance absorption and recoil Waveparticle duality Quantum electrodynamics Additional reading
|  | To cite this page: MLA style: "Electromagnetic Radiation." Encyclopędia Britannica. 2003. Encyclopędia Britannica Premium Service. 02 Sep, 2003 <http://www.britannica.com/eb/article?eu=108503>. APA style: Electromagnetic Radiation. Encyclopędia Britannica. Retrieved September 2, 2003, from Encyclopędia Britannica Premium Service. <http://www.britannica.com/eb/article?eu=108503> Britannica style: "electromagnetic radiation" Encyclopędia Britannica from Encyclopędia Britannica Premium Service. <http://www.britannica.com/eb/article?eu=108503> [Accessed September 2, 2003].
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