Electromagnetic waves are waves of electric and magnetic fields that propagate through space, carrying energy. They are transverse waves, meaning the electric and magnetic fields oscillate at right angles to each other and to the direction of wave travel. Unlike mechanical waves, electromagnetic waves do not require a medium and can travel through the vacuum of space at the speed of light, approximately 300,000,000 meters per second

. These waves are generated by accelerating charged particles, creating oscillating electric and magnetic fields that sustain each other as the wave moves. The phenomenon was theoretically described by James Clerk Maxwell in the 1860s, who showed that changing electric and magnetic fields produce electromagnetic waves

. Electromagnetic waves cover a broad spectrum classified by frequency or wavelength, ranging from low-frequency radio waves to high-frequency gamma rays. This spectrum includes radio waves, microwaves, infrared, visible light, ultraviolet, X-rays, and gamma rays. All these types travel at the speed of light in a vacuum but differ in their energy and wavelength

. In modern physics, electromagnetic waves can also be described as streams of photons-massless particles carrying discrete packets of energy proportional to their frequency. This wave-particle duality explains both their wave-like and particle-like behavior

. In summary, electromagnetic waves are self-propagating oscillations of electric and magnetic fields that transport energy across space at the speed of light, encompassing a wide range of frequencies and applications in communication, medicine, and more