Video Transcript
What is the name of the type of electromagnetic radiation that has the longest wavelengths?
Electromagnetic radiation can be identified by its frequency or correspondingly its energy or its wavelength. If we imagine a spectrum, say, of all possible wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation, say we arrange the spectrum so that shorter wavelength radiation is to the left and longer wavelength radiation is to the right, then we can choose to divide out radiation along this spectrum by what we’ll call types.
For example, one type of electromagnetic radiation is visible light. If we move in the direction of shorter wavelength from visible light, then the next named type is ultraviolet radiation. Then at even shorter wavelengths, there are X-rays and finally 𝛾 rays. Of all types of electromagnetic radiation, 𝛾 rays have the shortest wavelength and correspondingly the highest energy.
In this question, though, we want to name the type of radiation with the longest wavelengths. If we move out then from visible radiation in the direction of longer wavelength, we encounter infrared radiation, then after that microwaves, and finally radio waves. There is no upper limit to the wavelength of radio waves. This then is the name of the type of electromagnetic radiation that has the longest of all wavelengths.
