This means that they are measured by their amplitude (height) and wavelength (distance between the highest/lowest points of two consecutive waves). Mechanical waves (like sound waves or water waves), on the other hand, need a medium to travel. It does not need a medium to propagate or travel from one place to another. An electromagnetic wave can travel through anything - be it air, a solid material or vacuum. However, they are capable of showing interference or diffraction. They are deflected neither by the electric field, nor by the magnetic field. They are also perpendicular to the direction of the EM wave.ĮM waves travel with a constant velocity of 3.00 x 108 ms-1 in vacuum. The electric field and magnetic field of an electromagnetic wave are perpendicular (at right angles) to each other. They are hence known as ‘electromagnetic’ waves.
In other words, EM waves are composed of oscillating magnetic and electric fields.ĭescription: Electromagnetic waves are formed when an electric field comes in contact with a magnetic field. Definition: Electromagnetic waves or EM waves are waves that are created as a result of vibrations between an electric field and a magnetic field.
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