Order the waves from shortest to longest wavelength.

• A. Gamma rays, Microwaves, Visible light, Radio waves
• B. Gamma rays, Visible light, Microwaves, Radio waves
• C. Microwaves, Visible light, Radio waves, Gamma rays
• D. Gamma rays, Radio waves, Visible light, Microwaves

Answer: (A)

Shorter wavelengths mean higher frequency and higher energy per photon. Among common electromagnetic waves, gamma rays have the shortest wavelengths, followed by microwaves, then visible light, with radio waves having the longest wavelengths. So the order from shortest to longest is gamma rays, microwaves, visible light, radio waves. This reflects the inverse relationship between wavelength and energy (E ∝ 1/λ).