Which type of light lies between microwaves and visible light?

Which type of light lies between microwaves and visible light?

• A. Infrared light
• B. Visible light
• C. Ultraviolet light
• D. Radio waves

Answer: (A)

On the electromagnetic spectrum, light is arranged by wavelength. If you move from longer to shorter wavelengths, you encounter radio waves, then microwaves, then infrared, then visible light, and so on. Infrared lies between microwaves and visible light because its wavelengths are shorter than those of microwaves but longer than those of visible light. This placement matches everyday observations, since infrared is the range we associate with heat (objects at typical temperatures emit infrared), while visible light is what our eyes can see and microwaves have even longer wavelengths. In rough terms, infrared spans about 700 nanometers up to about a millimeter, visible light runs roughly from 400 to 700 nanometers, and microwaves begin around 1 millimeter and extend to much longer wavelengths.

On the electromagnetic spectrum, light is arranged by wavelength. If you move from longer to shorter wavelengths, you encounter radio waves, then microwaves, then infrared, then visible light, and so on. Infrared lies between microwaves and visible light because its wavelengths are shorter than those of microwaves but longer than those of visible light. This placement matches everyday observations, since infrared is the range we associate with heat (objects at typical temperatures emit infrared), while visible light is what our eyes can see and microwaves have even longer wavelengths. In rough terms, infrared spans about 700 nanometers up to about a millimeter, visible light runs roughly from 400 to 700 nanometers, and microwaves begin around 1 millimeter and extend to much longer wavelengths.