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electromagnetic waves

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electromagnetic wave

–noun Physics.
a wave produced by the acceleration of an electric charge and propagated by the periodic variation of intensities of, usually, perpendicular electric and magnetic fields.
Also called electric wave.


Origin:
1905–10
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Cultural Dictionary

electromagnetic waves

Waves composed of undulating electrical fields and magnetic fields. The different kinds of electromagnetic waves, such as light and radio waves, form the electromagnetic spectrum. All electromagnetic waves have the same speed in a vacuum, a speed expressed by the letter c (the speed of light) and equal to about 186,000 miles (or 300,000 kilometers) per second.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: electromagnetic wave
Function: noun
: one of the waves that are propagated by simultaneous periodic variations of electric and magnetic field intensity andthat include radio waves, infrared, visible light, ultraviolet, X rays, and gamma rays
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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