A remote control for a television works by sending out electromagnetic waves. Which is the best description for the behavior of the waves?
a.The speed of the waves changes as it moves through the air, so the waves refract and diffract.
b. The remote control sends out longitudinal waves, which then echo off the television detector.
c. Transverse waves from the remote transmit through air, which are then absorbed by the television detector.

Question

A remote control for a television works by sending out electromagnetic waves. Which is the best description for the behavior of the waves?
a.The speed of the waves changes as it moves through the air, so the waves refract and diffract.
b. The remote control sends out longitudinal waves, which then echo off the television detector.
c. Transverse waves from the remote transmit through air, which are then absorbed by the television detector.

matt101 · Answer

A TV remote works by sending out infrared light, which is detected by another piece of equipment in the TV. Each button on the remote produces a unique sequence of light pulses, so the TV knows what to do depending on the sequence of pulses it receives.

Because we're talking about infrared light, which is a type of electromagnetic radiation, the waves are transverse. This eliminates B. Answer A is nonsense - there is no reason the speed of the waves would change if they are moving through the same medium the entire time. This means C is your answer!