Yahoo Answers is shutting down on May 4th, 2021 (Eastern Time) and beginning April 20th, 2021 (Eastern Time) the Yahoo Answers website will be in read-only mode. There will be no changes to other Yahoo properties or services, or your Yahoo account. You can find more information about the Yahoo Answers shutdown and how to download your data on this help page.

? asked in Science & MathematicsPhysics · 9 years ago

Question about radio waves.?

What exactly are radio waves? And do they have anything to do with sound?

3 Answers

Relevance
  • 9 years ago
    Favorite Answer

    Radio waves are a type of electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths in the electromagnetic spectrum longer than infrared light. Radio waves have frequencies from 300 GHz to as low as 3 kHz, and corresponding wavelengths from 1 millimeter to 100 kilometers. Like all other electromagnetic waves, they travel at the speed of light. Naturally occurring radio waves are made by lightning, or by astronomical objects. Artificially generated radio waves are used for fixed and mobile radio communication, broadcasting, radar and other navigation systems, satellite communication, computer networks and innumerable other applications. Different frequencies of radio waves have different propagation characteristics in the Earth's atmosphere; long waves may cover a part of the Earth very consistently, shorter waves can reflect off the ionosphere and travel around the world, and much shorter wavelengths bend or reflect very little and travel on a line of sight.

  • 9 years ago

    Radio waves occupy one region of the electromagnetic spectrum. The complete electromagnetic spectrum is essentially light itself. Radio waves occupy that part of the electromagnetic spectrum from roughly 30 kilohertz to 100 gigahertz.

    With the proper receiver equipment, like radio receivers or TV receivers, radio waves can be heard.

  • 9 years ago

    Radio waves are simply a small section of the electro-magnetic spectrum (EMS). The EMS includes light, ultra violet and infra red and X-rays. And more.

    Radio waves are different to sound waves since EMS waves are transverse; sound waves are longitudinal.

    Source(s): Me: a radio communications engineer.
Still have questions? Get your answers by asking now.