definitions

electromagnetic spectrum

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR electromagnetic spectrum ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the entire spectrum, considered as a continuum, of all kinds of electric, magnetic, and visible radiation, from gamma rays having a wavelength of 0.001 angstrom to long waves having a wavelength of more than 1 million km.

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Nearby words

electromagnetic interaction, electromagnetic moment, electromagnetic pulse, electromagnetic pump, electromagnetic radiation, electromagnetic spectrum, electromagnetic tape, electromagnetic unit, electromagnetic wave, electromagnetic waves, electromagnetics

Origin of electromagnetic spectrum

First recorded in 1935–40
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for electromagnetic spectrum

electromagnetic spectrum

noun

the complete range of electromagnetic radiation from the longest radio waves (wavelength 10 5 metres) to the shortest gamma radiation (wavelength 10 –13 metre)
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Science definitions for electromagnetic spectrum

electromagnetic spectrum

The entire range of electromagnetic radiation. At one end of the spectrum are gamma rays, which have the shortest wavelengths and high frequencies. At the other end are radio waves, which have the longest wavelengths and low frequencies. Visible light is near the center of the spectrum.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Culture definitions for electromagnetic spectrum

electromagnetic spectrum

The family of electromagnetic waves. The electromagnetic spectrum, starting from the waves with the longest wavelengths (and least energy), consists of radio waves, microwaves, infrared radiation, visible light, ultraviolet radiation, x-rays, and gamma radiation. Members of the family differ from one another only in their wavelength, or frequency. For example, the wavelength of blue light is roughly half that of red light, but the waves corresponding to the two colors are otherwise identical.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.