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TSR Wiki > Study Help > Subjects and Revision > Revision Notes > Physics > The electromagnetic spectrum

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• All waves in the electromagnetic spectrum are transverse.
• The waves all travel at 3 x 10⁸ms^-2 known commonly as the speed of light.
• The following table puts waves in order of increasing wavelength and decreasing frequency.

Wave	Uses / notes
Cosmic Rays	Hazard
Gamma Rays	Killing Cancer Cells
X-Rays	Medical Uses (X-Raying People)
Ultra Violet	Sterilising and sun tanning
Visible Light	Violet light has a higher frequency and lower wavelength than red light.
Infra-Red Light	Night Vision, short distance communication and heating
Microwaves	Cooking, communication
Radio Waves	Include short wave radio, medium wave and long wave radio waves.

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