I’ve seen radio waved depicted in two different ways that seem at odds with one another. the first is something like [this](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3d/Wireless_tower.svg/75px-Wireless_tower.svg.png), with the waves spreading out from a point source in all directions. the second is like [this](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d1/Cross_linear_polarization.gif/330px-Cross_linear_polarization.gif) with the radio wave moving in a “tube” constrained by its own parameters.
since we can’t see them, radio waves remain a bit abstract, but both of these visualizations can’t be correct at the same time… or can they? can someone as to what the real picture would “look” like?
many thanks!
In: 3
They are both correct hey just illustrate different things. Radio waves are types of photons like light.
You know when you light up a lightbulb you know its shooting billions of tiny lasers out in all directions, and you could draw that as either a glow/circle, or a bunch of tiny lines (like when you draw someone having an idea)? Its like that. So its billions of tiny lines which are so dense its very frequently drawn as a sort of radial wave thing.
A radio tower is basically just a big lightbulb but for a very different frequency of light.
Latest Answers