Light waves do not require a medium to travel through; they can traverse through a vacuum too. A light wave comprises of energy in the form of electric and magnetic fields. The radiation thus emitted is also known as electromagnetic radiation. Both these fields vibrate at right angles to the direction of movement of the wave, and at right angles to each other. Because light has both electric and magnetic fields, it is also referred to as electromagnetic radiation.
The size of a wave is calculated at its wavelength. A wavelength of a light is the distance between any two equivalent points on successive waves. The visible wavelengths of the light are usually in the range of 400 to 700 billionths of a meter. Light waves travel through a vacuum at their greatest speed, 186,000 miles per second or 300,000 kilometres per second. Light is the fastest of all media in the universe. Light waves do slow down when they travel insides substances like air, glass, water or hard crystalline substances.
The size of a wave is calculated at its wavelength. A wavelength of a light is the distance between any two equivalent points on successive waves. The visible wavelengths of the light are usually in the range of 400 to 700 billionths of a meter. Light waves travel through a vacuum at their greatest speed, 186,000 miles per second or 300,000 kilometres per second. Light is the fastest of all media in the universe. Light waves do slow down when they travel insides substances like air, glass, water or hard crystalline substances.
