what property of an EM wave describes its energy or how powerful it is?
In: Physics
The energy of a photon is proportional to its frequency (inversely proportional to its wavelength). High frequency, high energy. That’s why x-rays and gamma-rays are much more dangerous than radio.
But you also have to consider intensity (amplitude of the EM wave). You can think of that as having more photons present. Bright sunlight (greater intensity) will give you a sunburn faster than very dim sunlight.
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