Which of the following statements is true of visible light?

• A. Visible light is the only part of the electromagnetic spectrum that can travel through a vacuum.
• B. Visible light has a lower frequency than radio waves.
• C. Visible light has wavelengths between approximately 400 nm and 700 nm.
• D. Visible light has higher energy than ultraviolet light.

Answer: (C)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Recall that visible light is a portion of the electromagnetic spectrum that humans can see, and it travels through a vacuum just like all other electromagnetic waves (e.g., radio waves, X-rays, ultraviolet light). Therefore, the statement that visible light is the only part that can travel through a vacuum is false.
2. Understand the relationship between frequency and wavelength in the electromagnetic spectrum: radio waves have much lower frequencies and longer wavelengths compared to visible light. So, visible light does not have a lower frequency than radio waves; it actually has a higher frequency.
3. Identify the typical wavelength range of visible light, which is approximately from 400 nanometers (nm) to 700 nanometers (nm). This range defines the colors visible to the human eye, from violet (around 400 nm) to red (around 700 nm).
4. Compare the energy of visible light to ultraviolet (UV) light. Since energy is directly proportional to frequency (and inversely proportional to wavelength), and UV light has a higher frequency than visible light, UV light has higher energy. Therefore, visible light does not have higher energy than ultraviolet light.
5. Conclude that the true statement among the options is that visible light has wavelengths between approximately 400 nm and 700 nm.