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Do Radio Waves Make “Noise”?

-- Abbie | March 4, 2021

Artist impression of a Fast Radio Burst (FRB) reaching Earth.

Question:

Do radiowaves make noise? What I mean is, are radio waves only a form of light or are they also a form of sound, and if they aren’t a form of sound, why are they called ‘radio’?

-- Abbie

Answer:

In fact, “radio waves” are defined as a section of the electromagnetic spectrum, or light, that represents wavelengths of light that are commonly used in radio communications. Sound waves are produced by a different phenomena, and represent the transport of energy through the movement of a physical medium, such as the Earth’s atmosphere, to transmit what our ears interpret as “sound”.

-- Jeff Mangum

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