noun
radiation consisting of waves of energy associated with electric and magnetic fields resulting from the acceleration of an electric charge
• Hypernyms: ↑radiation
• Hyponyms:
↑actinic radiation, ↑actinic ray, ↑beam, ↑ray, ↑electron beam, ↑black-body radiation, ↑blackbody radiation, ↑Hertzian wave, ↑gamma radiation, ↑gamma ray, ↑line, ↑microwave, ↑radio wave, ↑radio emission, ↑radio radiation, ↑X ray, ↑X-ray, ↑X-radiation, ↑roentgen ray
• Part Meronyms: ↑photon
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noun : one of the waves that are propagated by simultaneous periodic variations of electric and magnetic field intensity, the two kinds of oscillation being perpendicular to each other, and that include radio waves, infrared, visible light, ultraviolet, X rays, and gamma rays in ascending order of frequency
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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.
[1905-10]
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electromagnetic wave UK US noun [countable] [singular electromagnetic wave plural electromagnetic waves] physics
a wave of energy within the electromagnetic spectrum
Thesaurus: physical forces and processeshyponym
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electromagnetic wave,
a wave of energy made up of an electric and a magnetic field, generated when an electric charge oscillates or is accelerated. Light waves and radio waves are electromagtic waves, according to their frequencies and wavelengths. The chief kinds of electromagnetic waves, ranging from longest to shortest wave length, are long radio waves, short radio waves, infrared rays, visible light, ultraviolet light, X rays, and gamma rays. »
In 1873, Maxwell showed that an oscillating electrical circuit should radiate electromagnetic waves (Sears and Zemansky).
Useful english dictionary. 2012.