radio waves travel fastest in

What Is the Speed of Radio Waves? The Surprising Answer!

Last Updated on Jan 23 2023

Similar to light , radio waves are a type of electromagnetic radiation. They are used in communications and are most commonly seen in televisions and audio broadcasts but may also be used to send signals to and from spacecraft and space stations. Although many people think of them as a form of soundwave because they are converted by receivers to create audio, radio waves are actually electromagnetic, which means that they are similar to and travel at the same speed as light.

Radio waves travel at 300,000 kilometers per second. They can only achieve this speed in a vacuum but are only fractionally slower in Earth’s atmosphere.

• What Is the Speed of Radio Waves?

Radio waves are electromagnetic radiation like sound waves, microwaves, and X-rays. All of these types of radiation travel at the same speed, which is 300,000 kilometers per second. This means that radio waves could travel around the earth seven times in a single second. It would take 8 minutes for them to travel from Earth to the Sun, and 4 years to reach the nearest star.

• How Far Can a Radio Wave Travel?

Radio waves, and all forms of electromagnetic radiation, dissipate in Earth’s atmosphere, which means that they will eventually stop. However, in the void of space, they will travel on forever so they have no limit to the distance they will travel.

• Are Radio Waves Harmful?

Radiofrequency radiation, which is the type of radiation caused by radio waves, is considered non-ionizing radiation, which means that it does not remove electrons from an atom and does not cause cancer. However, if the body absorbs enough radiofrequency radiation, it can cause parts of the body to heat up, which may cause burns and other related injuries.

It is also theorized that some forms of non-ionizing radiation may cause damage or changes to the body’s cells that lead to cancer, so while they don’t directly cause cancer, it is possible that some of this radiation may indirectly lead to cancerous changes of the body’s cells.

Radio waves are not considered harmful at the levels that most people are exposed to them, although research continues into the effects of non-ionizing radiation in general.

• Does Rain Affect Radio Waves?

Radio waves are, or can be, affected by rain . The waves are reflected, refracted, and essentially diverted by the rain. This can lead to a phenomenon called rain fade, which means that the radio wave signal fades over distance, and it can have a significant impact on the use of radio waves for communication and other purposes.

• Final Thoughts

Radio waves are used to transmit data, including pictures and audio, but while many people think of radio waves as a type of sound wave because radio plays sounds, radio waves are actually a type of electromagnetic radiation, which means that they are in the same class as light. They even travel at the same speed of light, which is slightly slower than 300,000 kilometers per second. Radio waves can travel to the Sun in 8 minutes but can be affected by rain. They are not thought to cause cancer in humans or animals.

• https://www.nasa.gov/pdf/583093main_Earth_Calling.pdf
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio_wave
• https://www.qrg.northwestern.edu/projects/vss/docs/communications/2-why-does-it-take-so-long.html
• https://www.ametsoc.org/index.cfm/ams/policy/policy-memos/the-radio-frequency-spectrum-and-weather-water-and-climate-uses-and-challenges/
• https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/461024/can-there-be-old-radio-waves-broadcasted-years-ago-still-traveling-in-the-air
• https://www.cancer.org/healthy/cancer-causes/radiation-exposure/radiofrequency-radiation.html

Featured Image Credit: Mariakray, Pixabay

Table of Contents

About the Author Robert Sparks

Robert’s obsession with all things optical started early in life, when his optician father would bring home prototypes for Robert to play with. Nowadays, Robert is dedicated to helping others find the right optics for their needs. His hobbies include astronomy, astrophysics, and model building. Originally from Newark, NJ, he resides in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where the nighttime skies are filled with glittering stars.

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How fast do radio waves travel.

We use radio waves from television and cellular service to navigation and air traffic control. Still, we don’t often stop appreciating them and just how crazy fast they really are. So, how fast do radio waves travel anyway?

Topics Covered - Index

How Fast Do Radio Waves Travel Through Space?

How long does it take for a radio signal to reach pluto, how long does it take for a radio message to travel from earth to the moon and back, how long does it take for radio waves to travel to the sun, how fast are radio waves compared to other types, can we detect radio waves from an alien civilization, so really, how fast do radio waves travel.

Unimpeded, radio waves travel at the speed of light because they are part of the electromagnetic spectrum. In terms of miles, radio waves travel at approximately 186,000 miles per second or 300,000,000 meters per second.

If you’re a science lover or just curious about the technology that makes your life easier, you’ve come to the right place. In the sections below, we will break down how fast radio waves travel, whether they’re in space or here on earth.

We’ll also answer interesting questions like how long it takes for radio waves to reach the moon or pluto. So let’s just dive right in!

There is a common misconception that radio waves travel slower through space than they do through the air. The truth is that radio waves travel at the speed of light, even in space. It might seem like it’s taking them longer because space is so vast that even light and radio waves take considerable time to make their way across it. 

There are galaxies we will never be able to see because they are so far away from us that the speed of light waves can’t keep up with the expansion of the universe. The same, of course, would be true of any radio waves coming from a civilization outside the observable universe. 

To get some perspective on how vast the distances are that radio waves travel through space , let’s see how long it takes for them to travel from our friendly rock Earth to the dwarf planet Pluto.

Radio waves take about four and a half hours to travel from Earth to Pluto. That’s because the waves must travel about three billion miles before reaching their destination. 

Now let’s look at an object that’s a little closer. Our moon . The question is, how long does it take for a radio message to travel from the earth to the moon and back? 

Radio waves can travel to the moon and back at an average of about 2.56 seconds. Therefore if you sent radio waves on a journey to the moon and back, it would be the blink of an eye before they return.  They can make it quickly because the distance from Earth to the moon is only about 238,855 miles. When compared to the 92.5 million miles between Earth and the Sun, that’s nothing. 

You may be wondering, what about the sun then? How long does it take for radio waves to travel from the earth to the sun?

Radio waves take eight minutes to make their way from the earth to the sun. 

That may seem like a short period, but remember, these waves are traveling at the speed of light. This just goes to show how unbelievably big our solar system is, let alone the whole universe. 

To really get an idea of just how incredibly fast radio waves to travel, you just need to compare them to other kinds of waves like sound waves and light waves. 

Below we’ve listed two other types of waves and their speed compared to radio waves:

• Sound waves : Radio waves are a form of electromagnetic wave. Sound waves on the other hand, are a form of mechanical waves. Mechanical waves are not nearly as fast as electromagnetic waves because they are not made of light. Therefore sound waves can only travel 1,100 feet per second. That’s a far cry from the speed of light. 
• Light waves : Like radio waves, light waves are also a form of electromagnetic wave. As such, light waves also travel at the speed of light. The main difference between light waves and radio waves is their frequency. 

The only thing that technically moves faster than the speed of radio waves or light isn’t a wave at all. The only thing faster than the speed of light is the expansion of the universe itself. That’s why radio waves outside the observable universe will never actually reach us.

• Who Invented Radio?
• VHF vs. UHF
• Build a 40’ Antenna
• What is a Two-Way Radio?
• What is a DMR Ham Radio?

Let’s end on a fun note. Because radio waves can travel so far, so quickly, it’s only natural to wonder if we could detect radio waves sent out by an alien civilization living somewhere else in the universe.

While it is possible for us to detect radio waves from an alien civilization, the following issues make it less probable that we will:

• The vastness of space: It’s hard to even wrap your head around just how ridiculously big the universe we live in is. Every indication we have now suggests that intelligent life is relatively rare, so knowing where to point our satellites is like a shot in the dark.
• Radio waves diffuse: The real challenge is that as radio waves travel, they become diffused and unreadable. Therefore, if the advanced civilization is just a little too far away, it would be much harder to distinguish and interpret the radio waves they send. 

There have been scientific projects like SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) that have aimed satellites at the sky in the hopes of detecting a signal. Sadly, every single thing they’ve detected that seemed like it could be from aliens has turned out not to be so far. Still, the future isn’t written, so maybe someday that will be successful.

The only thing faster than traveling radio waves is the expansion of the universe. That’s because radio waves actually travel at the speed of light or 186,000 miles per second. 

This means that radio waves could travel to the sun in about eight minutes and to Pluto in about four and a half hours. Considering the vast distances between us and those objects, we can definitively say radio waves travel quickly. 

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How Fast Do Radio Waves Travel in Space (Explained with FAQs)

Writen by Edwin Jones

Fact checked by Andrew Wright

Radio waves play an essential role in most of the technological solutions around you. Unfortunately, very few people know about them; many people do not even know the meaning of radio waves. Therefore, there are a lot of misconceptions about radio waves and their velocity.

This article will provide everything you need to know about radio waves, including how fast do radio waves travel in space.

Table of Contents

What is the Speed of Radio Waves in Space?

What are radio waves, 1. low to medium frequencies, 2. higher frequencies, 3. shortwave radio, 4. highest frequencies, what are the properties of radio waves, 1. do radio waves continue in outer space, 2. does wi-fi take advantage of radio waves, 3. are radio waves the only type of electromagnetic wave, 4. what shape is a radio wave, 5. what are some practical applications of radio waves, 6. what electronics use radio waves, 7. are radio waves from a cell phone harmful.

Radio waves in space travel at the speed of light (c ≈299,79×10^6 m/s). That means the distance radio waves travel in 1 second in space is 299,792,458 meters (983,571,056 ft). So the speed of radio waves is much higher than that of sound waves .

Radio waves can travel through many different media at different speeds. When passing through a medium, the radio wave speed is decreased depending on the medium’s permittivity and permeability.

Radio waves have a wavelength of 0.04 inch to over sixty-two miles. As these waves go farther from the antenna that transmits them, their strength declines.

Contrary to what many people think, radio waves are not the sound you hear from your speakers or radio devices. What you hear are sound waves, not radio waves.

In essence, radio waves are electromagnetic radiation; therefore, they are pretty similar to a light wave . One difference between radio waves and light waves is that you cannot see radio waves.

Physicist James Clerk Maxwell foresaw the existence of radio waves; he created a famous Maxwell’s equation around the 1870s. Later, his prediction of radio waves was advanced by Heinrich Hertz, a German physicist. Heinrich Hertz was also the first to apply Maxwell’s equations to the transmission and reception of radio waves.

The unit of frequency for radio waves was named Hertz (Hz) in honor of Heinrich Hertz.

4 Main Types of Radio Waves

Radio waves are divided into several different types; these include:

These frequencies are the first kind in the radio frequency spectrum; this frequency range covers extremely low to medium radio waves.

ELF stands for extremely low frequency while VLF stands for very low frequency; They operate with frequencies from under 3 to 30 kHz. These frequencies are considered the lowest type of radio frequencies. Moreover, their long-range capability made them suitable for communications equipment in submarines.

In particular, they can penetrate water and rocks. Hence, they have been widely applied in caves and mines.

These frequencies are HF, VHF, and UHF. They are widely used in broadcast audio, public service radio, cell phones, FM, and GPS. As a rule, low frequencies travel farther and propagate better than higher frequencies.

Shortwave radio makes use of frequencies that range from 1.7 MHz to 30 MHz. They are applied in the transmission of radio signals from shortwave stations around the world.

For example, stations like the VOA, BBC, and Voice of Russia use this frequency range for broadcast purposes.

On the other hand, shortwave is also widely used for long-distance broadcast.

These are SHF (Super high frequency) and EHF (extremely high frequency). SHF is widely used in wireless USB, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth; it is also utilized for radar purposes. In particular, super high frequencies can only operate on straight lines; that means they bounce off any obstacle.

Radio waves come with some very different properties; these include:

• Their wavelength is longer than that of infrared light.
• Can overcome materials or obstacles.
• Can travel great distances.
• They cannot be seen and cannot be felt.
• Moving in a vacuum at the speed of light.
• They can be formed by electric currents (including lightning).
• Possess both electric and magnetic components.
• They can be absorbed, refracted, reflected, as well as polarized.

Frequently Asked Questions

Radio waves can be used to send messages to space. NASA actually uses them for communication.

Wi-Fi, like other wireless devices, applies radio frequencies to send signals between devices. However, the range of radio frequencies applied by Wifi is different from devices such as car radios, cell phones, weather radios, etc.

The short answer is no.

They are not the only components of the electromagnetic spectrum. There are several other forms of electromagnetic waves, including radar, BlueTooth, microwaves, infrared, ultraviolet light waves, and X-rays; all these components are electromagnetic waves.

Like other electromagnetic waves, radio waves look like ocean surface waves or any other type of wave. Wavelength is measured by the distance from the top of a peak to its neighboring peak.

Radio waves are used to transmit radio signals that your radio can pick up. In addition, they also work in carrying the signals you use for your smartphones and TVs.

There are devices that use radio waves for communication, such as two-way radios, television broadcasts, radio broadcasts, cellular telephones, cordless telephones, garage door openers, satellites, and countless other devices.

Some studies show that radio waves from cell phones can affect the metabolism of brain cells. However, there is no evidence that this effect is harmful.

Hopefully, after you finish reading this article, you will be confident enough to answer when someone asks you “how fast do radio waves travel in space” or “do radio waves travel at the speed of light?”

Thank you for reading. Please share this article if you find it helpful.

Hi, I am Amaro Frank – the Wind Up Radio’s content editor and writer. Working with Adam is so much fun, as his stories and experiences enrich my knowledge about radio communications and radio accessories. My main tasks in Wind Up Radio are building content and generating great articles on different topics around radio accessories.

• Q & A / Science

Why do radio waves travel at the speed of light and not sound?

by How It Works Team · 06/07/2013

Radio waves are a form of electromagnetic radiation – the same phenomenon as light, X-rays and various other types of radiation, but with much longer wavelengths. As such, they travel at the speed of light (ie 300,000 kilometres/186,000 miles per second) – a lot faster than the 340 metres (1,125 feet) per second that sound itself moves through the air. It’s easy to be fooled by the fact that when you hear the word ‘radio’, you usually think of voices or music, but radio waves aren’t sounds themselves – just the medium used to broadcast an electronic signal from the studio to your hi-fi, which the speaker then turns back into the vibrations in the air which we hear.

Answered by Giles Sparrow.

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How Fast Do Radio Waves Travel?

Radio waves, a type of electromagnetic radiation, navigate the cosmos at the speed of light, an impressive 299,792 kilometers per second . This allows for rapid communication over vast distances, making them the backbone of modern wireless communications. Whether it’s facilitating global TV broadcasts, enabling your smartphone, or exploring the depths of space, radio waves play an integral role in the transmission of information.

Key Takeaways

• Radio waves travel at light-speed across various mediums.
• They are essential for global communication and space exploration.
• Technological innovations continually expand radio wave applications.

Basics of Radio Waves

Understanding the fundamentals of radio waves is essential to grasp how various forms of communication and information transfer operate around you. These waves are a ubiquitous part of your daily life, from the music you hear on your car radio to the invisible signals that enable your smartphone’s connectivity.

Definition and Nature of Radio Waves

Radio waves are a type of electromagnetic wave, characterized by their role in wireless communication. They are energy that travels through space, oscillating electric and magnetic fields. At their core, radio waves are just like any other form of electromagnetic wave, which includes light visible to the human eye.

The Electromagnetic Spectrum

The electromagnetic spectrum is a comprehensive range of electromagnetic energy, organized by frequency and wavelength . Radio waves sit at the lower frequency end of this spectrum, typically ranging from about 30 Hertz (Hz) to 3 Terahertz (THz) . They are longer in wavelength than higher-energy electromagnetic waves such as X-rays and gamma rays.

The Speed of Radio Waves

In a vacuum, radio waves, like all electromagnetic waves, travel at a constant speed of approximately 299,792 kilometers per second (or about 186,282 miles per second). This is popularly referred to as the speed of light . Regardless of their frequency or wavelength, the speed remains constant in a vacuum, ensuring that communication signals can be reliably transmitted over vast distances in space.

Radio Wave Propagation

Understanding how radio waves travel is essential when delving into the physics of radio communication. Your grasp of this concept will allow you to comprehend how signals reach your radio from various broadcast sources.

Propagation in Different Media

In a vacuum like space, radio waves travel at the speed of light, approximately 300,000 kilometers per second (km/s). However, when they pass through different media such as the Earth’s atmosphere, their speed can be affected. For instance, in the ionosphere, lower-frequency radio waves are subject to refraction, bending their paths and sometimes allowing them to cover greater distances.

• Vacuum (Space) : Speed of light (c) = 299,792 km/s
• Atmosphere : Variable speed due to refraction

Factors Affecting Radio Wave Travel

Several factors can influence the behavior of radio waves as they propagate :

• Reflection : Radio waves can bounce off surfaces, such as the ionosphere or the Earth’s surface.
• Refraction : Atmospheric layers bend radio waves, altering their trajectories.
• Diffraction : Radio waves can bend around obstacles, following the curvature of the Earth, which is especially true for lower frequencies.
• Absorption : Some energy of the radio waves is absorbed by atmospheric constituents or obstacles.
• Obstacles : Physical features like mountains or buildings can block or redirect radio waves.
• Magnetic Field : The Earth’s magnetic field can interact with radio waves, particularly at high latitudes.
• Distance : The further radio waves travel, the more their strength diminishes.

The complex interaction of these elements shapes how you receive radio broadcasts and how effectively you can communicate using radio frequencies.

For more details on how radio waves travel beyond the horizon through diffraction, check Radio Propagation – Wikipedia .

Radio Wave Applications

Radio wave applications are integral to modern technology and everyday life. These applications enable you to communicate, navigate, and access media.

Communication Systems

Radio waves form the backbone of wireless communication systems which you rely on daily. In radio communication, a transmitter generates a carrier wave that is modulated with information and sent through space to a receiver. Your cell phones operate using radio waves to transmit and receive calls and messages. Satellites also depend on radio waves to communicate with ground stations, helping you stay connected across vast distances.

Navigation and Radar

You benefit from radio waves every time you use navigation systems. Radio navigation tools like GPS rely on signals from satellites to provide accurate location and timing information. Radio waves are instrumental in radar systems that aircraft and ships use to detect objects and other vessels. Radar uses radio waves to determine the range, angle, or velocity of objects which is crucial for avoiding collisions, predicting weather, and managing air traffic control.

Broadcasting Technologies

Radio waves have been pivotal in the evolution of broadcasting technologies. Your favorite radio stations use Amplitude Modulation (AM) or Frequency Modulation (FM) to bring music and news to your radio receiver. Television uses radio frequencies to transmit visual and audio information. These signals are captured by your home’s receiving antenna. The broad reach of radio waves enables broadcasters to transmit content over large areas to numerous receivers simultaneously.

Technical Aspects of Radio Waves

Radio waves travel at the speed of light, approximately 186,000 miles per second, which equates to their integral role in telecommunications. Your understanding of their technical aspects is crucial for comprehending how they are used in today’s technology-driven world.

Frequency and Wavelength

Frequency refers to the number of complete oscillations or cycles a wave makes per second, measured in hertz (Hz). Their wavelengths, which is the distance between identical points in the adjacent cycles of a waveform, are inversely proportional to frequency. This means that higher frequency radio waves have shorter wavelengths, and vice versa.

• Low frequency (LF) : 30 to 300 kHz, wavelength 10 km to 1 km
• Medium frequency (MF) : 300 kHz to 3 MHz, wavelength 1 km to 100 m
• High frequency (HF) : 3 to 30 MHz, wavelength 100 m to 10 m
• Very high frequency (VHF) : 30 to 300 MHz, wavelength 10 m to 1 m
• Ultra-high frequency (UHF) : 300 MHz to 3 GHz, wavelength 1 m to 100 mm

Radio Wave Generation and Reception

Generation of radio waves involves a transmitter and an oscillating electrical current, which produces electromagnetic fields oscillating at radio frequencies. A piece of equipment such as an antenna then radiates these oscillations as radio waves.

On the reception end, a radio receiver with an antenna captures these waves. The receiver translates the oscillations back into electrical signals, which can then be converted into audio or data.

Modulation and Transmission

Modulation is the process where the properties of the radio waves are varied to encode information. There are various techniques, such as amplitude modulation (AM) where the wave’s amplitude changes, and frequency modulation (FM), where the frequency is varied.

These changes correspond to the data or audio signals that are being sent. The modulated wave is transmitted via a transmitter through space to an antenna, which feeds it to a receiver.

• AM : Greater wave amplitude means stronger signal
• FM : Higher frequency of change means higher audio pitch

Remember, the velocity at which these waves travel from the transmitter to your antenna is constant, covering vast distances nearly instantaneously, allowing for real-time communication across the globe.

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Universe Today

Space and astronomy news

Device Makes Radio Waves Travel Faster Than Light

[/caption] A scientist has created a gadget that can make radio waves travel faster than light . Einstein predicted that particles and information can’t travel faster than the speed of light, but phenomena like radio waves are a different story, said John Singleton, who works at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. The polarization synchrotron combines the waves with a rapidly spinning magnetic field, and the result could explain why pulsars — which are super-dense spinning stars that are a subclass of neutron stars — emit such powerful signals, a phenomenon that has baffled many scientists.

Singleton said the polarization synchrotron basically abuses radio waves so severely that they finally give in and travel faster than light. This may be what happens in pulsars, as well. “Pulsars are rapidly rotating neutron stars that emit radio waves in pulses, but what we don’t know is why these pulses are so bright or why they travel such long distances,” Singleton said. “What we think is these are transmitting the same way our machine does.”

The device consists of a 2 meter-long gently curving arc of alumina (a dielectric material), with a series of electrodes fitted at regular intervals along its length. Applying a sinusoidal voltage across each electrode and displacing the phase of the voltage very slightly from one electrode to the next generates a sinusoidally-varying polarization pattern that moves along the device. By carefully adjusting the frequency of the voltage and the phase displacement the researchers say they can make the wave travel at greater than the speed of light. However no physical quantity of charge travels faster than light speed.

And beyond explaining what has been a bit of a mystery to the astronomical community, Singleton’s discovery could have wide-ranging technological impacts in areas such as medicine and communications, he said.

“Because nobody’s really thought about things that travel faster than light before, this is a wide-open technological field,” Singleton said.

One possible use for faster than light radio waves — which are packed into a very powerful wave the size of a pencil point — could be the creation of a new generation of cell phones that communicate directly to satellites, rather than transmitting through relay towers as they now do.

Those phones would have more reliable service and would also be more difficult for hackers to intercept, Singleton said.

Speedy radio waves could also revolutionize the computing industry. Data could be transferred more quickly, and if used in semiconductors, it would mean faster caches and the ability to communicate across separate pieces of silicon nearly instantly.

In the health field, faster than light radio waves could be in extremely targeted chemotherapy, where a patient takes the drugs, and the radio waves are used to activate them very specifically in the area around a tumor, Singleton said.

Read the paper on the Polarization Synchrotron.

Sources: Current, Geek.com , Roland Piquepaille’s Technology Trends

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29 Replies to “Device Makes Radio Waves Travel Faster Than Light”

I’ve heard of this phenomenon before, and it should be noted while the waves travel (or appear to travel) faster than light, information that can be transmitted by these waves cannot (it goes regular light speed or slower). Therefore, we’re not seeing a breakdown of the laws of physics here, nor is this really all that new an idea. It’s probably just a new implementation.

Agreed. The speed of light is a fundamental limit on causality. No causal signal or information can travel faster. In this case what is travelling faster than light is a phase, but not information.

Is’all greek to me as I don’t understand much of anything about this or how it violates causality and laws of the universe to find loopholes in Einsteins theories.

What I don’t understand most tho is how something can be moving faster than the speed of light, and we are aware of this somehow, but that something carries no information (when its existence is information).

Is this just a quirky thing that happens on a bench or can we someday look forward to FTL Morse code from mars?

This article is very confusing as written. The paragraph about using this phenomenon to speed up data processing in computers clearly indicates that this can be used to convey information faster. Even if only a portion of the wave is moving faster than light speed, that is still significant. Even though the signal itself cannot carry information the signal itself can be the information. If it’s delivery can be varied in any particular way then that variance can be translated into a message very easily. Granted such a message would not be secure but that isn’t always the point. Perhaps we are beginning to see the advent of “subspace communication” or ftl messaging.

“What I don’t understand most tho is how something can be moving faster than the speed of light, and we are aware of this somehow, but that something carries no information (when its existence is information).”

It’s existence could be thought of as providing information – i.e. Does this radio wave exist? > I can detect it > Yes it does. > OK – that provides me with information.

However, what we are interested in here is the transmission of non-random information from one place to another. To do this, you have to modulate the signal somehow to allow the wave to carry information. Here it gets technical, but suffice it to say that the modulated wave packet travels more slowly than the phase velocity of the wave in question.

It gets very involved with a lot of subtle points. It confuses and trips up many an intelligent physicist. I certainly don’t too much beyond the basics…

Maxwell – try this thought (or real) experiment:

Take a laser pointer, and point it at the moon. Next, swing the laser so it traverses the moon in about a 1/100 of a second. (that’s equivalent to about one complete revolution of your hand every 3 seconds).

The spot of the laser pointer is moving across the lunar landscape at approximately the speed of light!

Want to go faster? either swing your arm faster, or aim for Mars…

Just like in this device, no information is transmitted from one side of the moon to the other.

(Just thought of another – if you pre-program the audience, you can make a stadium wave move faster than the speed of light too!)

On the causality thing, I don’t think it would be a violation. The speed of light is fast but its not instantaneous. I’d figure a signal could be faster, blisteringly faster, and still never arrive before it was sent. It would simply arrive before a light based signal did.

We are not the center of time any more than we are the center of the universe.

Greg: but that’s just the problem; at no point does this process push information even a tiny bit faster than light. The phase that this article describes can only transfer information about one part to the Universe to another at the speed of light or less; no faster. This article is very misleading about the wording it uses in addition to the implied result it present. This article may as well be about the invention of a perpetual motion machine.

I know there’s a good article out there that states that Special Relativity and FTL imformation transfer cannot co-exist but my Google-Fu is failing me tonight. Basically, if Special Relativity is true, the FTL information transfer cannot be, and vice versa. What the argument boils down to is that Special Relativity dictates that the receiver would get the signal before the transmitter sent it, and can do something to disrupt the signal before it is sent by the transmitter, thus preventing the receiver from getting the signal, etc, etc. That would obviously violate casuality and create a paradox, which would make the scenario impossible.

Can anyone help me find that article? Parts of it got math-y, but it was a very good description of the problem posed by FTL information transfer.

This is the kind or article that you either disregard or perhaps glance through to see how the original informants are trying to mess with their readers mind.

Note that the paper is from -04, which means that the research has emptied out the possibilities of their setup. Since the research isn’t interesting they are probably trying to wake interest by bloviating on technological possibilities, which in turn also seems to have awoken little interest.

I see that many have anticipated much of the rest of my kvetch on this.

This article is very confusing as written.

Greg, they are trying to shuffle the cards fast. First, as CEB notes you can yourself recreate such signal sweeps. I don’t think it is meaningful to speak about the apparent speed or phase of the wavefront since you, the observer, is recronstructing global information, and elsewhere. There is no local observer! So no break with relativity, but also no meaningful way of discussing this.

Second, AFAIU these types of phenomena is often seen in astronomy too, where for example jets seen at an angle seems to travel superluminally. The difference is, I think, that no astronomer would term it “superluminal”?!

As for technological possibilities, it is true that electrical signals in narrow conductors limit signaling and global clock reconstructions over large circuit boards. Even in a free conductor a voltage signal would go with 2/3 of light speed due to vacuum inductance. This is why optic signaling is tried, with (directed signaling) or without fiber (omni-directional signaling).

What these researcher have observed is a narrow lobe 1/R field, which is reminiscent of the near field behavior. For comparison a “wide” mono-lobe (spherical field) displays the well known 1/R^2 behavior.

If it is an extended near field, which by all means is an interesting phenomena by itself, I doubt that it can be used for fast communication. Near fields close to an antenna by definition hasn’t yet coupled the electric and magnetic field. There are thus no real photons (coupled E and M field), only virtual non-observable ones and little energy transfered (thus the 1/R behavior). Signals would look different at different positions and times, and hopeless to decode.

But even if it is instead a halfway house to a transmitted signal akin to a narrow laser “lobe” (ideally no energy leak with R at all) it can never be as effective or easy to make.

[The reason a wide near field effect would be interesting is IMO that _that_ probably has technological applications. Near field microscopy/pattern transfer has resolution way below the wavelength of the used light. If so, this is then perhaps the only thing the press release/article gets right – perhaps these things, by stacking energy faster than it normally dissipates in confined directions, can achieve superior radio/chemotherapy.]

No, it wouldn’t help to imagine a faster process, then that simply would be “light”. Einstein realized that there must be a fastest signal, and that it is tied into how space and time works. It is rather easy to identify that fields that have infinite range (which means their interactions are mediated by massless particles: EM, gravity) transmit at this speed. [“rather easy” reads, as usual, as: “I’m sure I have seen this beautiful argument somewhere somewhen, but I can’t remember or reconstruct it.” :-)]

Unfortunately I dunno about such a good article. But I have one old link somewhere to an article how superluminal signals in general would destabilize your typical gauge field.

Then we have computer scientist Scott Aaronson’s testable hypothesis against time travel, which would work against superluminal signaling too. If such beasts exist they could be used to deflate computer science tower of algorithmic difficulty. In other words, we would instantly know everything. We don’t, so they don’t (exist).

That type of gedanken experiment reminds me of that old maxim, roughly and generally “space exists so that not everything happens here, and time exists so it doesn’t all happen to me”. I recently saw it attributed to Einstein, which if true would be a delicious happenstance.

This reminds me of quantum mechanics and the interpretation of particles being waves. The “particle” is made up of many waves. These waves travel with different phase-velocities and can be faster than the speed of light. But a single wave is not transporting any information about the particle. It is the group of waves that counts and the corresponding group-velocity is always less than the speed of light…

Thanks, this makes alot more sense than the article did. I’ll try to put this in simplified concrete terms. If such a signal could be sent over a long distance then essentially what an observer would see would be random signals and there would be no way to control the delivery to convey a message. But on second thought the observer would see nothing even though part of the waveform was sent and would only detect the signal when the rest of the wavefrom arrived at light speed.

Hmmm. I have always came back to the ideal in my little brain that gravity has been the one thing that does not have speed. Or….maybe it simply moves or JUST IS within the universe. It does bend light. So my question is…is gravity a phase or a wave or a particles? Or all three, it does seem to break ‘Einstein’s Rule’. Maybe. I can not be completely held down to the thought that ‘nothing moves faster then the speed of light’. I think we have just begun to figure out the physics of the universe. I do think this is a new way to come at an old ideal and should make us think…all rules can be ‘broken’. A friend of mine said once that light is massless, and gravity present mass, sort of like a rock in the middle of a fast moving stream, the water is the light and the force that stream is moving is the ‘energy…and the rock is the gravity, the water [light] does flow [bend] around it. He was trying to break the ideal down so I could understand it. He said if you are standing on that rock, nothing can move faster then that ‘stream’ , the speed of light. Until we figure out an angle, or another way of seeing the physics of light, Einsten’s rule, we thinks can’t be broken. Tho the speed of light is a hard one to break. Which swings me back to gravity. I just don’t know. Now remember everyone, you are dealing with a person with a little brain, that is now even more confused. Thanks

I request an Astronomy Cast about this subject!! 🙂

Really, so it´s possible to send information faster than speed of light? As far as I know (and understood about the article) it breaks some known physical laws, doesnt it? I will read the paper and than I post what I find out…

When you throw a rock in water, waves carry the disturbance across the pond, in the form of a growing ring. If you look very carefully, you will notice that each individual wave (‘phase’) moves faster than the ring (‘group’). Waves appear to ‘be born’ on the inside edge of the ring, grow and move outward faster than it, then dissipate and disappear on the outside edge. The ‘information’ about the rock fall, as well as what energy can be harnessed from it, crosses the pond at the speed of the ring, not the waves’. Waves on water behave like this because the system (fluids boundary under gravity) is highly ‘non-linear’ – (= complex; as strange as it may seem, it is so difficult to calculate analytically, as to be in fact impossible).

Light in ordinary media does not behave that way, it is ‘linear’; phase and group speeds are equal (= c in vacuum, = c/n in a medium where n is the refraction index of that medium; n>1). But it is possible to find, and even make, weirdly non-linear media for light, and radio-waves. If you can make nc! This is then just for phase velocity, which cannot carry information: only the group of waves does.

The system described in this article does just that: by modifying its properties along with the passing wave, it interacts with the wave in a very non-linear way.

Two more things about relativity. 1- Of course, as just any other physics theory, it is only valid within its domain of tested verification, to the extent of the precision of the best observations, and until otherwise proved (‘falsified’). It may happen, and it may not.

Until it happens, relativity is a good tool to understand the place we live, but it is not very intuitive.

2- The notion that ‘it is not possible to go faster than light’ is over-simplified, and misses the point. It tends to lead to meaningless ‘what-ifs’. c is much more than ‘the speed of light’: it is the ‘space-time constant’, the ratio between time and space (which relativity states are related, and not independent as our intuition would have it).

Light happens to travel at c (in a vacuum), because c is also a ratio between electrical and magnetic properties of vacuum, because light happens to be electro-magnetic waves (propagating vibrations of the electric and magnetic fields, just like vibrations of the surface of water propagates) and because electric and magnetic fields are space- and time-derived from each other (this was stated by JC Maxwell).

(btw, gravity probably also travels at c, but this has not been observed yet.)

Einstein’s idea is that c is a constant for all observers. This is much deeper, and in fact much more surprising, than the better-known idea of ‘no faster than c’. Suppose you drive a spaceship at c/4, heading for the klingon ship in front. That ship is travelling towards you at c/2. Both ships fire their laser cannons. Q: What will each of you, as well an an innocent bystander, measure for the speed of these rays of doom? A: c! All of you, for both rays of light! And not c+c/2, c-c/2, c+c/4, c-c/4 you would observe in a newtonian universe. c is really constant.

What this actually means, is that speed is a very, very different thing from the notion we have of it. All that exists is a link between time and space, which is different for each observer. This link means that, among other things, V>c is not only impossible, but physically meaningless, for any observer. Think of it as a sort of rotation between observers, such as one observer’s ‘time’ becomes mingled with another’s ‘space’.

Sorry, that was long…

This was the best I can find so far about the whole subject. Now that I realized my previous error (I confused the terms casualty and causality [Bad Dave! No cookie for you!]), I’m finding more useful references to the whole subject.

…long but interesting!

Hey, there was a bug with > and < !

"But it is possible to find, and even make, weirdly non-linear media for light, and radio-waves. If you can make nc!"

should read:

"If you can make n smaller than 1, then V larger than c!"

I have a comment that I would like to inject here, not so much about the article as much as about a few of the comments. Repeatedly a few folks have stated that “nothing can travel faster than light” in reference to Einstein’s theories and these comments are being stated as an undeniable fact. I wanted to address this because these comments also insinuate that if nothing can travel faster than light, well then “what’s the point of even trying?” and to me this is a very sad view of things. To me attitudes such as this simply say that we’re in for a very lonely existence on this planet and that there’s really no point to any of this. After all, why even look at the stars if we can NEVER visit them…what’s the point?

I’m not going to debate any of the science in regards to this with anyone here…I barely understand any of Einstein’s theories to begin with. I will say however that as I understand it, while Einstein was certainly right about most things, as far as I know this concept about travel and light is still a theory…it has NOT been conclusively proven beyond a shadow of a doubt yet. That said, we can’t allow ourselves to fall victim to a belief that it’s simply “not possible”. For years the “experts” swore up and down that the Earth was flat. For many more years most folks, including the experts thought it was impossible for “man to fly” let alone reach the moon…until someone proved them wrong.

If we give up the effort based on the belief that it’s not possible, we may be sacrificing something truly great. Further, even if it turns out that it’s not possible, what other truly wonderful things could be discovered in the attempt…things that may not be discovered if we simply “give up because it’s not possible”.

Anyways, I’m sure this isn’t going to change the opinion of any of the experts who are so positive that faster than light travel isn’t possible…they have gotten so wrapped up in their facts, science and mathematics that they have forgotten how to dream. For the rest of you though, please don’t give up “the dream” simply because others don’t think it’s possible. We have to dream of the possibilities before we can ever achieve them! Hopefully one day someone will be able to prove the experts, including Einstein wrong.

Just some thoughts from a dreamer 🙂

to: Iomitus

I’m all for dreaming but it has been determined experimentally that a particle moving at a velocity close to the speed of light is much more massive than one at a lower velocity. So the closer you get to c the more massive it becomes and the more energy it takes to go faster until takes infinite energy as you get infinitely close to c.

Face it, Relativity describes the way the universe works.

Dreaming is good! It can lead you to very exciting things. And space travel would, indeed, be a great thing.

The problem here is, as CinIN already states, SR (special relativity) is proven without any doubts. Especially particle physics experiments have shown its effects to be real. Even such a different theory like quantum mechanics relies on SR; you need SR to achieve the correct explanation of electrons in an atom – and this has been proven, too! We must face it: SR is right and faster-than-light-travel is not possible in the conventional way. Btw: Theoretically the warp-drive of Enterprise could work! One major problem could be to put thirty solar masses into the space ship and keep it from collapsing into a black hole. But as a professor once stated: “Theoretically it works. How to build it is up to the engeneers!” 😀

I’m hesitant to open this can of worms but then curiosity killed the cat. I’m not a proponent of the EU theory but am intrigued by some of what it suggests. Is faster than light speed possible according to EU? Where is Anaconda when you need him?

I can’t believe I really just typed that…

The spped of light is not really a property of light, but of spacetime. The speed of light is where there is zero distance in spacetime (space + time), and massless particles such as photons travel along these paths or geodesics.

Phase terms can travel faster than light. Even stranger quantum entanglements can exist simultaneously. Two charged and spinning particles in an entangled states may be separated by a huge distance. If one particle is in a region with a magnetic field that particle will exhibit a precession. This is the basis of MRI. Now the other particle far removed and with no magnetic field will also precess!

Can there be a speed up of information because a phase travels faster than light? Surprisingly yes, but under certain conditions. This is the basis for quantum computers, where the entanglement of states can quantum compute in a log(time) compared to a classical computer. There is a hitch though. There has to be a classical signal transmitted to read the output of the quantum computation.

With the case of the laser pointer suppose it points at various spots on the moon. These are specific little pulses of codes and the pointer hits detectors so there is no speed of light connection between them. Each of these little detectors then processes the information and then communicates to some “hub.” In that sense you can actually have a faster communication of information. Yet it has to be remembered that no information actually travels faster than light.

Lawrence B. Crowell

This article confusing too much to me. First all all original paper was already 5 years old. Why you writing article as if this letter is quite new one? Sencond “polarization synchrotron” is not way to sending meaning data by faster than light. In short this article is not crrect by physically speaking and it looks like yellow journalism. I am sorry to say to use a such a words because of your article is always very good.

According to what Lawrence B. Crowell wrote, a pulse of light sent ftl would be detectable. If you could power your laser pointer sufficiently and make it accurate enough, one could send pulses to specific locations to a detector array and the arrangement of those locations would convey the message. Over short distances this would not matter, but over many light years it would speed up messaging considerably.

Ouch, that is not exactly what I said. You can send a phase FLT, or one can change the pointer of a laser so the spot on a target moves faster than light. The motion of this spot is not a causal propagation of information. Yet one could send a signal to distant detectors on the moon, with different phases, and these detectors then process their information and relay it to a central region. There will be a speed up of information processing, even though information has NOT actually propagated faster than light.

Quantum computers exploit nonlocality of quantum entanglements in a related way to speed up the processing of information. The architype is the controlled-NOT gate which can process entangled quantum bits.

To lomitus,

You sir are not a dreamer you are a visionary. I agree with your line of thinking. I have an explanation of why this device works as it does. You may be interested in seeing it. Please go to this Internet site, Super Relativity.org. At this site read the article How to Build a Warp Drive using SR Theory. It will explain the mechanics of the discovery talked about in the article above. It discusses the principle idea of what I call the Slip Wave Field.

I don’t understand why this finding is not being taken more seriously. Although I do not believe this damaged Einstein’s theories in any way (as his theory only applies to objects with an existential mass, and not waves), I think it is worth noting that these waves can be used to send information, even if they can’t contain information.

Take for example, fiber optics. The idea behind fiber optics is not that light can store information and then send it from one node to another, but rather that the light’s presence (or lack there of) can represent a number in binary.

Couldn’t the same idea be applied to radio waves, allowing us to send information faster than fiber optics allows us, and beyond that, we can send it through space, rather than only in network cables?

Comments are closed.

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Electromagnetic Spectrum

As it was explained in the Introductory Article on the Electromagnetic Spectrum , electromagnetic radiation can be described as a stream of photons , each traveling in a wave-like pattern, carrying energy and moving at the speed of light . In that section, it was pointed out that the only difference between radio waves, visible light and gamma rays is the energy of the photons. Radio waves have photons with the lowest energies. Microwaves have a little more energy than radio waves. Infrared has still more, followed by visible, ultraviolet , X-rays and gamma rays.

A video introduction to the electromagnetic spectrum. (Credit: NASA)

The amount of energy a photon has can cause it to behave more like a wave, or more like a particle. This is called the "wave-particle duality" of light . It is important to understand that we are not talking about a difference in what light is, but in how it behaves. Low energy photons (such as radio photons) behave more like waves, while higher energy photons (such as X-rays) behave more like particles.

The electromagnetic spectrum can be expressed in terms of energy, wavelength or frequency . Each way of thinking about the EM spectrum is related to the others in a precise mathematical way. Scientists represent wavelength and frequency by the Greek letters lambda (λ) and nu (ν). Using those symbols, the relationships between energy, wavelength and frequency can be written as wavelength equals the speed of light divided by the frequency, or

and energy equals Planck's constant times the frequency, or

• λ is the wavelength
• ν is the frequency
• E is the energy
• c is the speed of light, c = 299,792,458 m/s (186,212 miles/second)
• h is Planck's constant, h = 6.626 x 10 -27 erg-seconds

Conversion between wavelength, frequency and energy for the electromagnetic spectrum. (Credit: NASA's Imagine the Universe.)

Astronomy Across the Electromagnetic Spectrum

While all light across the electromagnetic spectrum is fundamentally the same thing, the way that astronomers observe light depends on the portion of the spectrum they wish to study.

For example, different detectors are sensitive to different wavelengths of light. In addition, not all light can get through the Earth's atmosphere , so for some wavelengths we have to use telescopes aboard satellites . Even the way we collect the light can change depending on the wavelength. Astronomers must have a number of different telescopes and detectors to study the light from celestial objects across the electromagnetic spectrum.

A sample of telescopes (operating as of February 2013) operating at wavelengths across the electromagnetic spectrum. Observatories are placed above or below the portion of the EM spectrum that their primary instrument(s) observe.

The represented observatories are: HESS, Fermi and Swift for gamma-ray, NuSTAR and Chandra for X-ray, GALEX for ultraviolet, Kepler, Hubble , Keck (I and II), SALT, and Gemini (South) for visible, Spitzer, Herschel, and Sofia for infrared, Planck and CARMA for microwave, Spektr-R, Greenbank, and VLA for radio. Click here to see this image with the observatories labeled.

(Credit: Credit: Observatory images from NASA, ESA (Herschel and Planck), Lavochkin Association (Specktr-R), HESS Collaboration (HESS), Salt Foundation (SALT), Rick Peterson/WMKO (Keck), Germini Observatory/AURA (Gemini), CARMA team (CARMA), and NRAO/AUI (Greenbank and VLA); background image from NASA)

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How Fast Do Radio Waves Travel In A Vacuum-Air-Space

Last Updated: February 1, 2024

The effective use of radio waves in communication technologies today is based on how fast radio waves travel.

Radio waves play a significant role in most of the technology solutions we see around us.

But, as common as they are, very little is known about them. For most people, they don’t even know the meaning of radio waves.

There is a lot of misconception out there regarding radio waves. From what they are to how they function, only a handful of people know anything about this wave type.

As a result, this post will be breaking down everything you need to know about radio waves.

By the time you are done reading this, you should be confident enough to tell someone else exactly what radio waves are and how they function.

What are radio waves?

Unlike what many people think, radio waves are not the sounds you hear coming out of your radio speakers. That is sound waves, not radio waves.

Radio waves are electromagnetic radiation. Radio waves are quite similar to light waves. The only difference is that you cannot see them as light.

Think of them as being produced by charged particles going through acceleration, like in time-changing electric currents.

Transmitters artificially generate them. You need a radio receiver to intercept and receive the radio waves with the help of an antenna.

The application of radio waves is used in many technologies.

They are employed in mobile and fixed radio communication, radar & navigation systems, broadcasting, wireless computer network, communication satellites, and a host of others.

Radio waves were discovered by James Clerk Maxwell, the physicist who was known for the famous Maxwell’s Equation around the 1870s.

A German physicist known as Heinrich Hertz was the one who advanced Maxwell’s prediction of radio waves.

He was the first to apply Maxwell’s equation to the transmission and reception of radio waves.

The unit of frequency for EM waves was unanimously agreed to be Hertz by the American Association For The Advancement of Science, in honor of Heinrich Hertz.

Properties of radio waves

Radio waves have got some highly distinct properties that you ought to be aware of. Those properties will be outlined below

• They are a form of electromagnetic waves. They have got a wavelength longer than the wavelength of infrared light.
• Radio waves can go through materials or obstacles.
• They can travel extremely long distances.
• Radio waves are invisible and cannot be felt either.
• When they move through a vacuum, they do so at the speed of light. But, their speed drops when they move through a medium, depending on the medium’s permeability.
• Radio waves have a wavelength range between thousands of meters and 30cm.
• Radio waves can be formed as a result of changing electric currents. Naturally, they can be emitted by lightning and astronomical objects that can exhibit magnetic field changes.
• Radio waves possess both magnetic and electric components
• They can experience absorption, refraction, reflection, as well as polarization.

Types of Radio Wave

Radio waves are subdivided into various categories. This section of this post will be discussing the different radio waves, as seen below.

Low to medium frequencies

This frequency range is the first category in the radio frequency spectrum. It is composed of extremely low to medium radio waves.

ELF and VLF stand for extremely low frequency and very low frequency, respectively. This class of radio waves operates with a frequency of between 0.1 and 30 kHz.

They are classified as the lowest radio frequencies. They’ve got long-range capabilities that make them suitable for communication items in submarines.

That is because they can penetrate water and rocks. They have also found useful applications in caves and mines.

Higher frequencies

HF, VHF, and UHF bands comprise public service radio, broadcast television sound, cellphones, FM, and GPS.

These bands employ FM or frequency modulation to impress or encode a data or audio signal upon the carrier wave.

In FM, the signal’s amplitude is kept constant, while the frequency is varied along with the magnitude and rate that corresponds to the data or audio signal.

That is why the signal quality of FM is better than that of AM. Environmental factors do not have a similar influence on frequency as they do on amplitude.

Furthermore, the FM receivers are built to ignore any amplitude variations so long as the signal maintains the least threshold value.

Shortwave radio

Shortwave radio makes use of frequencies between 1.7 kHz and 30 MHz.

This frequency range is what is used to transmit radio signals from shortwave stations across the globe.

Stations like the BBC, VOA, Voice of Russia, and hundreds of other stations use this frequency range for broadcast purposes.

Shortwaves are preferred for long-distance broadcast due to their signals’ ability to reflect on the ionosphere and rebound back far away from where the signal has been broadcast.

Highest frequencies

Super high frequency (SHF) and extremely high frequency (EHF) are considered among the microwave band of the radio-frequency spectrum.

With the help of this frequency range, high-bandwidth, short-range communications can happen between fixed locations.

SHF is used in applications such as Wi-Fi, wireless USB, and Bluetooth. They are also employed for radar purposes because they possess the ability to bounce off obstacles.

It is noteworthy that SHF can only function in straight paths. They bounce off any obstacle they come in contact with.

How Fast Do Radio Waves Travel? Through Space, Air or Vacuum

How fast do radio waves travel has been answered so many times, yet some people are still confused about the subject.

Earlier, we were able to establish that radio waves are electromagnetic. That means they are going to behave like electromagnetic waves too.

One thing that is common to all electromagnetic waves is that they all travel at the speed of light in a vacuum. They travel at an approximate speed of 186,000 miles per second in a vacuum.

Unlike radio waves, sound waves cannot travel through a vacuum. They can only travel through a medium.

In other words, without a medium, you cannot have sound. Radio waves do not necessarily need any medium for their propagation.

Radio waves travel at the same speed as light because they are like light waves, except that they are unseen.

Radio waves can equally travel through various mediums at different speeds. How fast they are going to travel through a specific medium will be determined by some factors.

Some of those factors include the permittivity and permeability of the medium in question.

Radio waves are much faster than sound waves, even if you have to pass them through the same medium for the sake of comparison.

How do radio waves work?

The best way to answer how do radio waves work is by using antennas to explain the concept.

For radio waves to be effectively broadcast and received, we will need two antennas. One will be the transmitter, while the other will be the receiver.

Let’s use a radio station as an example. At the radio station, voice can be captured by a mic, where the system will convert it into a form of electrical energy.

That electricity is then sent through an antenna (transmitter) with great height. The transmitter will boost the power of the electricity so it can travel as far as possible.

The tiny particles within the electric current continuously move back and forth within the antenna, and radio waves are automatically produced.

The radio waves then travel at the speed of light or close to that value, with the voices trapped within them.

Therefore, when someone puts on their radio set, the electrons in their antenna are made to move back and forth (vibrated) by the incoming radio waves.

That resonating action brings about an electric current. The electronics component then converts that electric signal to sound, allowing you to hear the voice recorded at the station.

Why do radio waves travel at the speed of light and not sound?

Sound waves need a medium before they can travel between locations.

For example, let’s take the air; sound waves can travel through the air because it is composed of molecules.

Without any molecules in the air, it will be impossible to transmit sound waves across the atmosphere. That is where radio waves differ from sound waves.

Radio waves travel at the speed of light because both light and radio waves belong to electromagnetic waves.

Sound waves do not belong to this class. Instead, they are grouped in the class of mechanical waves.

All electromagnetic waves can travel through a vacuum at the speed of light. So that is the simple reason radio waves tend to travel at the speed of light and not sound waves.

FAQs Regarding The Speed of Radio Waves

Do all the different types of radio waves travel at the same speed.

The radio frequency spectrum is a composition of the different types of radio waves.

But because the radio waves are a part of an electromagnetic spectrum, they will all travel at the same speed across a vacuum.

That speed is the speed of light. Having said that, if they are to travel across different mediums, then their speeds will vary.

Do radio waves continue in outer space?

Yes, radio waves continue indefinitely until they come in contact with something.

But, even before that happens, they usually become weak and blend with the universe’s background noise.

That means the first set of radio waves emitted into outer space must be over a hundred light-years old by now.

What is the speed of red light in a vacuum?

Light travels through a vacuum at a constant speed. The speed at which light travels through a vacuum has nothing to do with its polarization, frequency, or other light wave characteristics.

In other words, the color of the wave does not affect its speed in a vacuum. Whether it is blue or red light, it will travel at an approximate speed of 300,000 km per second.

Does Wi-Fi make use of radio waves?

Just like other wireless devices, Wi-Fi implements radio frequencies for sending signals between devices.

The range of radio frequencies employed by Wi-Fi is quite different from devices like cell phones, car radios, weather radios, or walky-talkies.

For instance, your car radio receives frequencies in the range of between Kilohertz and Megahertz, suitable for AM and FM stations, respectively.

Wi-Fi, on the other hand, implements its data transmission in the region of Gigahertz. So, in general, you can say that Wi-Fi uses radio waves for transmitting data between devices.

What are some of the uses of radio waves?

Radio waves possess the longest wavelengths in the EM spectrum. Radio waves aren’t just used for transmitting radio signals that your radio can pick up.

They are actively responsible for carrying the signals you use for your cell phones and TV.

The moment your TV antenna picks up an incoming signal from a TV station, it does that in the form of radio waves or EM waves.

Are radio waves the only type of electromagnetic wave?

The answer to this question is No! Radio waves are not the only component of the electromagnetic spectrum.

Other forms of electromagnetic waves include Bluetooth, radar, microwaves, ultraviolet light waves, infra-red, and X-rays.

So it is right for you to assume all these components as electromagnetic waves.

Waves are generally classified into two groups – mechanical waves and electromagnetic waves.

Radio waves belong to the group of the latter. That explains the reason behind their ability to travel through a vacuum.

In stark contrast, sound waves are unable to travel through a vacuum due to their mechanical properties.

Sound waves require a medium for them to be propagated from one point to another.

Radio waves, just like other electromagnetic waves, travel through a vacuum at the speed of light.

Radio waves are employed in a wide range of technology applications. They make up the very core of communication technology.

Similar Posts:

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• What is Radio Frequencies? Types of Radio Frequencies
• Top 14 Best Long Range Omnidirectional TV Antennas in 2024 (Reviews & Buying Guide)
• Micropower Broadcasting: A Technical Primer (How to Start a Micro-Radio Station)
• 11 Best Marine TV Antenna Reviews in 2024 – Buying Guide

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How long does it take for transmissions to travel between DS1 and Earth?

The answer to this question depends on where DS1 is at the time. DS1 is getting farther and farther away from Earth, so the transmission time is taking longer and longer. We know how fast radio waves travel and how far away DS1 is. Using those two pieces of information, we can figure out how long a transmission will take at any given time.

For example, if DS1 was to send a signal telling us it has some sort of problem, scientists on Earth would have several solutions available. However, those solutions might need to be applied right away. If the lag is too long, the solution might not work because it will be too late by the time the command message got back up to DS1.

Below is a list of a few distances and the lag times we would experience trying to communicate over that distance.

How much time on the Deep Space Network is DS1 getting? What are uplink and downlink? What is the Deep Space Network? What interferes with communications? How often is DS1 in communication with Earth?

How is lag dealt with? How do the instruments and sensors coordinate sending signals? Why does communication get harder at greater distances? How much data is DS1 able to transfer?

How is lag time kept track of?

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How Radio Waves Travel Faster

How Fast Radio Waves Travel, radio waves play a crucial function in the vast majority of technology solutions you see around you.   It is unfortunate that very few are aware of their significance; and many don’t even understand what radio waves mean.   So, there are many misconceptions regarding radio waves and their speed.

Radio waves play a major role in many of the technological solutions that we see around us.   For the majority of people, they do not even understand the meaning that radio waves have.

There’s a lot of confusion about radio waves.   From what they represent to how they work there are only a handful of people have any knowledge about this type of wave. When you’re finished reading this article you will be able to tell anyone else the radio waves and how they work.

What are Radio Waves?

Contrary to what many people think radio waves aren’t the sound you hear from the radio speakers.   These are sound waves and not radio waves. Radiation from radio waves is electromagnetic.   Radio waves are very like light waves.   The only distinction is that you are unable to detect these as light. Consider them to be generated by charged particles that go through acceleration, similar to electrical currents that are changing in time.

Transmitters create them artificially.   Radio receivers are required to receive and intercept radio waves by means by an antenna. Radio waves are a method of communication that can be found in numerous technologies. They are utilized in fixed and mobile radio communications, radar and navigation systems streaming, the radio wireless networks satellites for communication and many more.

Radio waves were first discovered in the 1870s by James Clerk Maxwell, the physicist the best well-known for his famous Maxwell’s Equation around the 1870s. A German scientist known in the form of Heinrich Hertz was the one who formulated Maxwell’s theory that radio waves would be a phenomenon.

What is the Speed of Radio Waves in Space?

Space radio waves are traveling at the rate of light (c 299,79×106 milliseconds).   This means the distance that radio waves can travel within one minute in space would be 299,792,458 m (983,571,056 feet).   Therefore, that radio wave speed is more powerful than sound waves.

Radio waves travel through a variety of different media with different speed.   While passing through a medium the speed of radio waves decreases depending on its permittivity, as well as its the permeability.

Radio waves span a distance of 0.04 inch up to more than sixty-two miles.   When these waves travel further away from the antenna that broadcasts them, their power decreases.

Main Types of Radio Waves

• Low to Medium Frequencies The frequencies listed here are the very first in the spectrum of radio frequencies; the frequency spectrum covers low to medium-sized radio waves. ELF is an acronym in for Extremely Low Frequency, while VLF refers to extremely low frequency. They use frequencies that range from three to thirty kHz.   These frequencies are considered to be the most low-frequency radio frequencies.   Additionally, their range of operation makes them ideal for communication equipment used in submarines.
• Higher Frequencies These frequencies include The frequencies are HF, VHF, and UHF.   They are used extensively in broadcast audio and public service radios and cell phones, FM, as well as GPS.   The general rule is that low frequencies are more powerful and spread more efficiently than higher frequencies.
• Shortwave Radio Shortwave radio uses frequencies that vary between 1.7 Mhz and up to the 30th MHz.   They are utilized to transmit broadcast signals of shortwave radio stations across all over the world. For instance, stations such as VOA, BBC and Voice of Russia. VOA, BBC, and Voice of Russia use this frequency band for broadcasting purposes.
• Highest Frequencies They comprise SHF (Super High Frequency) in addition to EHF (extremely very high frequency).   SHF is commonly utilized in wireless USB as well as Wi-Fi as well as Bluetooth and is employed for radar use.   Particularly, super high frequencies only work in straight lines, which means that they bounce off of any obstruction.

What are the Properties of Radio Waves

• Radio waves possess  distinctive properties  which you must understand.   These properties will be described below.
• They are a type of electromagnetic waves.   They possess an extended wavelength than that for infrared radiation.
• When they pass through the vacuum and then through a medium, they move with the velocity of light.   However, their speed slows when they traverse the medium, according to its permeability.
• Radio waves can form  by altering  electrical currents.   Naturally, they could be released by lightning or objects of the night that exhibit magnetic field fluctuations.

How Fast Do Radio Waves Travel?   Through Space, Air or Vacuum

The speed at which radio waves travel .

In the past, we have been successful in establishing the fact that electromagnetic waves exist.   They are therefore likely behave just like electromagnetic waves, too. One thing common with the electromagnetic wave is that all move at the speed of light in the vacuum.   They move at an approximate rate of around 186,000 miles per minute in an atmosphere.

Like audio waves, they are unable to traverse an air vacuum.   They are only able to transported through the medium. That is in other words, without a medium there is no way to hear.   Radio waves don’t necessarily require any media for their propagation.

Radio waves move in the exact same way as light waves because they’re similar to light waves, but they are not visible. The Radio waves can traverse different media at various speeds.   The speed at which they will be able to traverse a certain medium will depend on a few variables.

What is the Function of Radio Waves?

The best method to determine what radio waves do is to employ antennas to explain the idea. For the effectiveness of radio wave it’s require two antennas.   One antenna will be the transmitter, and the second will serve as the receiver. Let’s take the radio station as an illustration.   In the radio station, voices can be recorded by an audio microphone, and then the system converts it into electrical energy.

The electricity is then transmitted to an analogue (transmitter) at a high altitude.   The transmitter increases the strength of the electricity, allowing it to travel as far as is possible. The tiny particles of electric current constantly move between the antenna.

Radio waves then are able to travel with the speed light, or near that speed while the voices remain in them. So, when someone turns on their radio the electrons inside the antenna go between them (vibrated) due to coming radio waves. The resonating effect creates electricity.   The electronics component converts the electric signal into audio, which allows you to listen to the recorded voice at the station.

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How Fast Do Radio Waves Travel In Space

Quick Answer: How Fast Does A Radio Wave Travel In Space . A perfect example of this is satellites orbiting in outer space. They transmit radio waves through space to antennas here on the ground.) Sound travels at approximately 1,100 feet per.

Actually, radio waves travel very quickly through space. Radio waves are a kind of electromagnetic radiation, and thus they move at the speed of light. The speed of light is a little less than 300,000 km per second. The distances to be traveled are so great that even light or radio waves take a while getting there.

Video advice: How far have Radio Waves traveled?

We’ve been sending radio waves for over a century, but how far have they got?

How does radio waves travel in space? How far can FM radio waves travel in space? Can radio waves travel through empty space? How long does it take radio waves to reach Mars? Why do astronauts use radios in space? How long does it take for radio waves to reach the moon? Do radio waves get weaker in space? How long does it take radio waves to travel one Lightyear? Why do radio waves travel at the speed of light? Does visible light travel slower than radio waves? Can radio waves travel faster than light? How long does it take a radio signal to reach Pluto? How long would it take to get to Pluto at the speed of light? How long is the communication delay between Earth and Mars? Why can’t astronauts walk after landing? What would happen if you screamed in outer space? Why is there no sound in space? HOW FAR CAN signals travel in space? Do radio waves travel at the speed of sound? How fast do gamma waves travel?

Weird space radio signal tracked to its source for the first time – Strange blasts of radio waves called fast radio bursts have been spotted all over the cosmos, and now astronomers have figured out where one came from.

Video advice: How Long Does It Take for Radio Waves to Reach the Moon? : Lessons in Physics & Chemistry

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That may mean that the other FRBs we have seen are produced by more active magnetars that can emit more powerful blasts. “If all the FRBs are produced by magnetars, they cannot all be slow, old magnetars like this one,” says Zhang. “Some must be young, meaning decades or centuries old instead of thousands of years or tens of thousands. ”

Video advice: Electromagnetic Spectrum: Radio Waves

http://www.facebook.com/ScienceReason … Science@NASA: EMS Electromagnetic Spectrum (Episode 2) – Radio Waves

How fast does signal travel in space?

Communications don't occur instantaneously. They're bound by a universal speed limit: the speed of light, about 186,000 miles per second .

Can radio waves travel through empty space?

Electromagnetic waves differ from mechanical waves in that they do not require a medium to propagate. This means that electromagnetic waves can travel not only through air and solid materials, but also through the vacuum of space . ... This proved that radio waves were a form of light!

How long does it take a radio wave to travel a light year?

Called Lightyear.fm, it is based on the premise that the radio waves travel at the speed of light, so if you were one light year away from Earth you'd only just be hearing songs released a year ago....

How long do radio waves take to reach the moon?

2.56 secondsRadio waves propagate in vacuum at the speed of light c, exactly 299,792,458 m/s. Propagation time to the Moon and back ranges from 2.4 to 2.7 seconds, with an average of 2.56 seconds (the average distance from Earth to the Moon is 384,400 km).

How long do radio waves take to reach Mars?

about 5 to 20 minutesIt generally takes about 5 to 20 minutes for a radio signal to travel the distance between Mars and Earth, depending on planet positions.

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• Mysterious Source in Deep Space Generates 1,652 Fast Radio Bursts in only 47 Days

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