Visible light is which of the following?

Visible light is which of the following?

• A. The Entire Electromagnetic Spectrum
• B. A Small Portion of the Electromagnetic Spectrum
• C. A Form of Acoustic Energy
• D. A Type of Ionizing Radiation

Answer: (B)

Visible light is a narrow slice of the electromagnetic spectrum. It covers wavelengths roughly from 380 to 750 nanometers, sitting between infrared and ultraviolet. The entire spectrum spans from radio waves to gamma rays, so visible light is only a small portion of it. It’s not acoustic energy, since sound is a mechanical wave that travels through matter, not electromagnetic radiation. It’s also not generally ionizing, because visible-light photons don’t have enough energy to remove electrons from atoms (that higher-energy ultraviolet, X-ray, and gamma rays can). So the best description is that visible light is a small portion of the electromagnetic spectrum.

Visible light is a narrow slice of the electromagnetic spectrum. It covers wavelengths roughly from 380 to 750 nanometers, sitting between infrared and ultraviolet. The entire spectrum spans from radio waves to gamma rays, so visible light is only a small portion of it. It’s not acoustic energy, since sound is a mechanical wave that travels through matter, not electromagnetic radiation. It’s also not generally ionizing, because visible-light photons don’t have enough energy to remove electrons from atoms (that higher-energy ultraviolet, X-ray, and gamma rays can). So the best description is that visible light is a small portion of the electromagnetic spectrum.