This chapter will discuss electromagnetic waves, with a focus on light and its applications. The ideas contained in this chapter should help you understand the basics behind optical storage of information, that is, compact discs (CDs), fiber optics used in telecommunications, as well as a host of other devices that use light.
FIGURE 16.1 Light is a wave made of electric and magnetic fields that oscillate perpendicular to the direction of travel.
16.1 ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVES
Electromagnetic waves are different than water and sound waves because they can travel through a vacuum, that is, they need no medium in which to travel ...
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