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WavesOfEnergyElectromagnetic energy travels in waves and spans a broad spectrum from very long radio waves to very short gamma rays. The human eye can only detect only a small portion of this spectrum called visible light. Gamma rays, x-rays, and some ultraviolet waves are "ionizing," meaning these waves have such a high energy that they can knock electrons out of atoms. Exposure to these high-energy waves can alter atoms and molecules and cause damage to cells in organic matter. Mechanical waves and electromagnetic waves are two important ways that energy is transported in the world around us. Waves in water and sound waves in air are two examples of mechanical waves. Mechanical waves are caused by a disturbance or vibration in matter, whether solid, gas, liquid, or plasma. Matter that waves are traveling through is called a medium. Electromagnetic waves can propagate through a vacuum, ie they do not need a medium to propagate through (or if they do propagate through a medium we have yet to figure out what it is made up of). They are both particles and waves. The terms light, electromagnetic waves, and radiation all refer to the same physical phenomenon: electromagnetic energy. Source: More Articles for Those Curious About Electro-Magnetism: Eddy Currents - verbatim from Wikipedia, "are circular electric currents induced within conductors by a changing magnetic field in the conductor, due to Faraday's law of induction." Induction Heating - Hi-frequency AC (5-500kHz) surrounds conductive material to heat it up very quickly and in isolation. Great for cooking or heating things up in a vacuum. Magnetic Hysteresis - Magnetized materials have memory of being magnetized, ie, they hold charge. This is how hard-drives work. Barkhausen Effect - Magnetization of materials happens in little jumps, not in a smooth curve. The Actual Position of a Particle on a Wave  |