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Multiple Choice
Which is the highest energy electromagnetic radiation?
A
Radio waves
B
Microwaves
C
Purple light
D
Red light
Verified step by step guidance
1
Understand the electromagnetic spectrum: The electromagnetic spectrum is the range of all types of electromagnetic radiation. Radiation is energy that travels and spreads out as it goes, and the types of radiation are classified by their wavelengths and frequencies.
Identify the types of electromagnetic radiation given: In this problem, we have radio waves, microwaves, purple light, and red light. These are all part of the electromagnetic spectrum.
Recall the order of electromagnetic radiation by energy: The energy of electromagnetic radiation increases with frequency and decreases with wavelength. The order from lowest energy to highest energy is: radio waves, microwaves, infrared, visible light (red to violet), ultraviolet, X-rays, and gamma rays.
Focus on visible light: Within the visible light spectrum, the energy increases from red to violet. Therefore, purple (or violet) light has a higher energy than red light.
Compare the energies: Among the options given, purple light has the highest energy because it is at the higher energy end of the visible spectrum, while radio waves and microwaves have much lower energy.