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Rank the forms of light from left to right in order of increasing speed. To rank items as equivalent, overlap them.

Options: gamma rays, X-rays, ultraviolet, visible light, infrared, radio waves.

1 Answer

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Final answer:

All forms of electromagnetic radiation, including gamma rays, X-rays, ultraviolet, visible light, infrared, and radio waves travel at the same speed in a vacuum, which is the speed of light (3.00 × 108 m/s). Therefore, they are all equivalent when ranking by speed.

Step-by-step explanation:

To rank the forms of light in order of increasing speed, it is important to understand that all forms of electromagnetic radiation, which includes gamma rays, X-rays, ultraviolet light, visible light, infrared, and radio waves, travel at the same speed in a vacuum. That speed is 3.00 × 108 m/s, commonly referred to as the speed of light. Therefore, when ranking these forms of light in order of increasing speed, they are all equivalent because they all travel at the same speed in a vacuum.

This answer is also supported by the fact that electromagnetic radiation types are typically ordered by frequency or wavelength, not by speed, as they all share the same speed in a vacuum. However, in terms of frequency and energy, gamma rays have the highest, followed by X-rays, ultraviolet, visible light, infrared, and radio waves have the lowest.

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