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Which types of electromagnetic radiation have wavelengths longer than visible light?
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When white light is spread apart by a prism or a diffraction grating, the colours of the visible spectrum appear. The colours vary according to their wavelengths. Violet has the highest frequencies and shortest wavelengths, and red has the lowest frequencies and the longest wavelengths.
Electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths longer than visible lightâwhich typically ranges from about 400 nm to 700 nmâis found at the lower-frequency end of the electromagnetic spectrum.12
These types of radiation, ordered from the shortest to the longest wavelengths beyond the red end of the visible spectrum, include:
- Infrared radiation: Extending from the red end of the visible range, this radiation is often perceived as a sensation of warmth.31
- Microwaves: These waves have longer wavelengths than infrared and are widely used in communications, radar, and heating applications.41
- Radio waves: Occupying the longest wavelengths in the spectrum, these waves are used for various forms of broadcasting, including television and cellular telephony.52
Because these portions of the spectrum are contiguous, there are no precise boundaries between them, and their ranges often overlap.2