Physics 9702 · AS & A Level
Electromagnetic spectrum
92 practice questions on Electromagnetic spectrum, with worked solutions and instant marking.
M and N are each electromagnetic waves. The ratio $\dfrac{\text{wavelength of M}}{\text{wavelength of N}} = 10^5$. What might M and N be?
Feb/March 2017
The table gives possible orders of magnitude for the wavelengths of some of the main radiations in the electromagnetic spectrum. Which row gives the correct orders of magnitude for the wavelengths?
Feb/March 2018
The diagram illustrates the main regions of the electromagnetic spectrum, and some details are labelled. It is not drawn to scale. What is a typical order of magnitude for the wavelength of the radiation in region Q?
Feb/March 2019
How do the wavelengths of microwaves and X-rays compare in order of magnitude?
Feb/March 2020
What wavelength value is not possible for the named electromagnetic waves while they are travelling in a vacuum?
Feb/March 2021
At the same instant, the Sun emits short pulses of red, blue and green light. Each pulse covers the same distance on the way to Mars. Suppose the whole journey takes place through a vacuum. In what sequence would the pulses reach Mars?
Feb/March 2022
Using the direction of propagation of energy, state what is meant by a transverse wave.
Feb/March 2024
Which row correctly identifies the properties shared by all electromagnetic waves?
Feb/March 2025
What is the approximate wavelength range in free space for infrared radiation?
Feb/March 2025
Electromagnetic waves from an unidentified source in space were observed to be strongly diffracted as they passed through gaps of about $10^{-5}\,\text{m}$. What type of wave are they most likely to be?
May/June 2010
Electromagnetic waves from an unidentified source in space were observed to diffract strongly as they passed through gaps of the order of $10^{-5}\,\text{m}$. What type of wave are they most likely to be?
May/June 2010
What order of magnitude do the frequencies of electromagnetic waves in the visible spectrum have?
May/June 2011
An electromagnetic wave has a period of $1.0\,\text{ns}$. What are the frequency and wavelength of this wave?
May/June 2012
Which row of the table gives the variation in wave characteristics as you move from infra-red to ultraviolet in the electromagnetic spectrum?
May/June 2013
The order of magnitude for the frequency of the shortest visible-light wavelength can be written as $10^x\,\text{Hz}$. What is the value of $x$?
May/June 2013
Which statement concerning the various types of electromagnetic wave is correct?
May/June 2013
Orange light has a wavelength of $600\,\text{nm}$. Determine the frequency of this light.
May/June 2013
Electromagnetic waves of wavelength $\lambda$ and frequency $f$ travel at speed $c$ in a vacuum. Which statement describes the wavelength and speed of electromagnetic waves of frequency $f/2$?
May/June 2013
The order of magnitude for the frequency of the ultraviolet waves with the longest wavelength can be written as $10^x\,\text{Hz}$. What is the value of $x$?
May/June 2014
What approximate frequency range does infra-red radiation have?
May/June 2014
An electromagnetic wave has a wavelength that is numerically of the same order of magnitude as the diameter of a nucleus. In what region of the electromagnetic spectrum does this wave lie?
May/June 2015
Which electromagnetic waves correspond to wavelengths of $10^{-2} \text{m}$, $10^{-5} \text{m}$, $10^{-10} \text{m}$ and $10^{-13} \text{m}$?
May/June 2016
Every main region in the electromagnetic spectrum covers a particular span of wavelengths. Which wavelength is matched correctly with its radiation?
May/June 2016
A red laser beam is $1.0\,\text{m}$ long. What is the order of magnitude of the number of wavelengths of the red light in $1.0\,\text{m}$?
May/June 2016
Which sequence lists electromagnetic waves in order of rising frequency?
May/June 2017
An electromagnetic wave has a period of $1.0\,\text{ns}$. What are its frequency and wavelength?
May/June 2017
The frequencies of three separate electromagnetic waves, P, Q and R, are listed as follows: $P = 3 \times 10^{10}\,\text{Hz}$, $Q = 3 \times 10^{13}\,\text{Hz}$, $R = 6 \times 10^{14}\,\text{Hz}$. Which row correctly identifies P, Q and R?
May/June 2017
Which of the following statements about electromagnetic waves in a vacuum is correct?
May/June 2017
Which row gives the correct frequency in Hz for each of the four principal radiations?
May/June 2017
Which part of the electromagnetic spectrum contains waves with a frequency of $10^{7}\ \text{MHz}$?
May/June 2018
What can be inferred from a table showing the wavelengths of waves in the electromagnetic spectrum?
May/June 2018
Two lasers produce light in a vacuum. One gives off red light and the other gives off green light. Which property of the two laser beams must be different?
May/June 2018
Which region of the electromagnetic spectrum contains waves whose wavelength is $1000$ times shorter than that of visible light?
May/June 2018
The electromagnetic spectrum is made up of waves with varying wavelengths. Which row correctly names regions of the electromagnetic spectrum?
May/June 2019
Infrared laser light is employed to transmit data through optic fibres. What is a typical wavelength for infrared radiation?
May/June 2019
What are the names of the electromagnetic waves whose wavelengths in a vacuum are $100\,\text{pm}$ and $100\,\mu\text{m}$?
May/June 2020
The table presents the wavelengths of five electromagnetic waves. Which row correctly names the principal radiation for each of these wavelengths?
May/June 2020
The table shows the possible wavelengths for four different electromagnetic waves. Which row is correct?
May/June 2020
Microwaves travelling in a vacuum move at speed $X$ and have wavelength of order of magnitude $Y$. What are the speed and one possible order of magnitude of wavelength of X-rays in a vacuum?
May/June 2021
Two lasers produce light in a vacuum. One laser gives out red light, while the other gives out green light. Which property of the light from the two lasers must be different?
May/June 2021
Which list arranges electromagnetic waves in order of decreasing frequency?
May/June 2021
Gamma-rays, microwaves, visible light and X-rays are four parts of the electromagnetic spectrum. Which option arranges these four parts in order of increasing wavelength?
May/June 2021
Which of the following statements about electromagnetic waves is correct?
May/June 2022
An electromagnetic wave travelling in free space has a frequency of $2.5 \times 10^{14}\,\text{Hz}$. Which part of the electromagnetic spectrum contains this frequency?
May/June 2022
Which list of electromagnetic-spectrum regions is arranged in order of increasing wavelength from left to right?
May/June 2022
Several sources of electromagnetic waves in free space are shown below. 1. a radio wave transmitter 2. a source of X-rays 3. a $30\,\text{mm}$ wavelength radar transmitter 4. a light-emitting diode that emits red light Which sequence shows the sources arranged from the smallest to the largest wavelength, reading from left to right, of the waves produced by the sources?
May/June 2023
A beam of visible light travels in a vacuum. What might its frequency be?
May/June 2023
A wave in the electromagnetic spectrum has a wavelength of $2.1\,\text{cm}$ in a vacuum. In which region of the electromagnetic spectrum does this wave lie?
May/June 2023
An electromagnetic wave in a vacuum has a wavelength of $138\,\text{pm}$. Which part of the electromagnetic spectrum does it fall into?
May/June 2024
Which wavelength of electromagnetic radiation in free space could correspond to green light?
May/June 2025
Radio waves may be used to find the separation between Earth and the planet Jupiter. A pulse of radio waves is sent out from the surface of Earth. The pulse is reflected by the surface of Jupiter and then received back on Earth. The interval between transmission and reception of the pulse is $3960\,\text{s}$. What is the distance between Earth and Jupiter?
May/June 2025
An electromagnetic wave moving through free space cannot be seen by the human eye. What could be a suitable wavelength for the wave?
May/June 2025
Which row could be used to describe electromagnetic waves?
May/June 2025
Which wavelength could be a value for radiation in the ultra-violet part of the electromagnetic spectrum?
Oct/Nov 2010
P is a source that gives out infra-red radiation, and Q is a source that gives out ultra-violet radiation. The numbers in the table are proposed wavelength values for the radiation emitted by P and Q. Which row is correct?
Oct/Nov 2011
Which statement concerning electromagnetic radiation is correct?
Oct/Nov 2011
$P$ is a source that emits infra-red radiation, while $Q$ is a source that emits ultra-violet radiation. The numbers in the table are proposed wavelength values for the radiation given off by $P$ and $Q$. Which row is correct?
Oct/Nov 2011
About what temperature is a red-hot ring on an electric cooker?
Oct/Nov 2012
State one property of electromagnetic waves that other transverse waves do not share.
Oct/Nov 2012
Electromagnetic waves from an unidentified source in space were observed to diffract strongly as they passed through openings of about $10^{-5}\ \text{m}$. Which kind of wave are they most likely to be?
Oct/Nov 2013
Which statement concerning electromagnetic radiation is correct?
Oct/Nov 2014
Which statement concerning electromagnetic radiation is correct?
Oct/Nov 2014
A section of a car was heat-damaged because, on a bright day, it had been parked opposite a curved building with mirrors that concentrated reflected sunlight onto the vehicle. Which statement about sunlight gives the correct explanation for this observation?
Oct/Nov 2015
P is a source that emits infra-red radiation, while Q is a source that emits ultra-violet radiation. The numbers in the table are proposed wavelengths for the radiation given off by P and Q. Which row is correct?
Oct/Nov 2015
The output from a microwave detector is shown on the cathode-ray oscilloscope (c.r.o.) in Fig. 2.1. The time-base setting on the c.r.o. is $50\,\text{ps cm}^{-1}$.
Oct/Nov 2015
The table lists the wavelengths of five electromagnetic waves. Which row correctly gives the principal radiation for each of these wavelengths?
Oct/Nov 2016
The table gives the wavelengths of five electromagnetic waves. Which row correctly matches the principal radiation for each of these wavelengths?
Oct/Nov 2016
What is the approximate order of magnitude for the frequencies of electromagnetic waves in the visible spectrum?
Oct/Nov 2017
What is a typical value for the wavelength of a microwave moving through a vacuum?
Oct/Nov 2017
A beam of orange light in a vacuum has wavelength $600\,\text{nm}$. What frequency does this light have?
Oct/Nov 2017
Which frequency of electromagnetic radiation might be ultraviolet?
Oct/Nov 2017
A telescope picks up and analyses electromagnetic radiation with wavelength $2\,\text{cm}$. What type of telescope is this?
Oct/Nov 2018
An electromagnetic wave has a wavelength of $1.0 \times 10^{-7}\,\text{m}$. Which part of the electromagnetic spectrum does this wave fall into?
Oct/Nov 2018
An electromagnetic wave travels in a vacuum with a wavelength of $138\,\text{pm}$. Which region of the electromagnetic spectrum is this wave part of?
Oct/Nov 2019
Two electromagnetic waves have wavelengths of $5.0 \times 10^{-7}\,\text{m}$ and $5.0 \times 10^{-2}\,\text{m}$. Which row states the parts of the electromagnetic spectrum that these waves are in?
Oct/Nov 2019
The graph illustrates how the intensity of electromagnetic radiation from a distant star changes with wavelength. In which part of the electromagnetic spectrum is the radiation intensity greatest?
Oct/Nov 2020
A section of the electromagnetic spectrum is displayed. What is the name of the shaded region, and what is the order of magnitude of a wavelength of a wave from this region?
Oct/Nov 2020
Two satellites orbiting the Earth stay a fixed $100\,\text{km}$ apart. Satellite X sends a microwave pulse to satellite Y. The pulse needs time $T$ to arrive at Y. Satellite Y then sends a pulse of visible light back to satellite X. How long does the light pulse take to reach X?
Oct/Nov 2020
An electromagnetic wave is given a wavelength of $85\,\mu\text{m}$.
Oct/Nov 2020
Which type of radiation could be made up of waves with wavelength $0.5\,\text{nm}$?
Oct/Nov 2021
A beam of electromagnetic waves has a frequency of $30\,\text{THz}$ and is travelling in a vacuum. To which region of the electromagnetic spectrum do these waves belong?
Oct/Nov 2021
A surface that seems smooth has irregularities on it that are less than the wavelength of visible light. What is the approximate maximum size of the biggest irregularities on the surface?
Oct/Nov 2021
A telescope is used to detect and analyse electromagnetic radiation with wavelength $2\,\text{cm}$. What type of telescope is it?
Oct/Nov 2022
Two electromagnetic waves possess wavelengths of $5.0 \times 10^{-7}\,\text{m}$ and $5.0 \times 10^{-2}\,\text{m}$ in a vacuum. Which row names the regions of the electromagnetic spectrum that the waves are part of?
Oct/Nov 2022
An electromagnetic wave in a vacuum has a period of $1.0\,\text{ns}$. Determine the wave’s frequency and wavelength.
Oct/Nov 2022
Which microorganisms have a length equal to the free-space wavelength of an electromagnetic wave that can be seen by the human eye?
Oct/Nov 2022
A student is studying two electromagnetic waves, X and Y, in a vacuum. Wave X has a wavelength of $5.2 \times 10^{-7}\,\text{m}$. Wave Y has a frequency of $9.4\,\text{GHz}$. Which main regions of the electromagnetic spectrum do waves X and Y belong to?
Oct/Nov 2023
What is the most appropriate estimate of the wavelength of green light?
Oct/Nov 2023
Which of the following statements about electromagnetic waves in a vacuum is correct?
Oct/Nov 2023
In which sequence are the electromagnetic waves arranged from the shortest wavelength to the longest wavelength?
Oct/Nov 2024
A free-space electromagnetic wave has a frequency of $3.0 \times 10^{16}\,\text{Hz}$. Which row states the principal region of this wave and gives an example of an electromagnetic wave with a lower frequency?
Oct/Nov 2024
Every main type of radiation in the electromagnetic spectrum has its own wavelength range. Which wavelength is correctly matched with its radiation?
Oct/Nov 2024