Visible Spectrum

The visible spectrum is the part of the electromagnetic spectrum that we can see with our eyes. It is essentially light. Think about what happens when a beam of light hits a prism - it produces a rainbow beam of light. This is the visible spectrum. The electromagnetic spectrum is the full range of different types and strengths of electromagnetic radiation. Electromagnetic radiation is energy that is released as a result of physical reactions between particles that are electrically charged. The electromagnetic spectrum starts out with gamma rays being the lowest frequency. We cannot see these with the naked eye. After gamma rays come X-rays which are followed by ultraviolet light. Ultraviolet light is followed by infrared light- the visible spectrum is located in the area between near ultraviolet and near infrared. The colors of the visible spectrum are red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet (remember this order by using the name ROY G. BIV). The color violet has the highest frequency and shortest wavelength (closest on the spectrum to ultraviolet) and the color red has the lowest frequency and largest wavelength (closest on the spectrum to infrared).