2.6 Make an argument (include claim, evidence, and reasoning) about why we can consider electromagnetic radiation as a wave.

Claim

Electromagnetic radiation can be considered a wave because it shows wave-like behaviors such as interference, diffraction, polarization, and changes in speed depending on the medium.

Evidence

1. Interference:

Electromagnetic radiation shows interference (constructive and destructive) when waves meet, which is a property of waves.

2. Diffraction:

When light or other electromagnetic radiation bends around obstacles or spreads through slits, it behaves like a wave.

3. Polarization:

Electromagnetic radiation can be polarized, which only happens with transverse waves. This supports the idea that electromagnetic radiation is a wave.

4. Speed in Different Media:

The speed of light changes when it passes through different materials, which is a typical wave behavior.

Reasoning

All these behaviors—interference, diffraction, polarization, and changes in speed—are characteristics of waves. Since electromagnetic radiation shows all of these behaviors, we can conclude that it behaves as a wave.

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