Radio waves are a type of electromagnetic radiation best-known for their use in

communication technologies, such as television, mobile phones and radios. These

devices receive radio waves and convert them to mechanical vibrations in the speaker
to create sound waves.

The radio-frequency spectrum is a relatively small part of the electromagnetic (EM)

spectrum. The EM spectrum is generally divided into seven regions in order of
decreasing wavelength and increasing energy and frequency, according to
the University of Rochester. The common designations are radio
waves, microwaves, infrared (IR), visible light, ultraviolet (UV), X-rays and gamma-rays.
Radio waves have the longest wavelengths in the EM spectrum, according to NASA,
ranging from about 0.04 inches (1 millimeter) to more than 62 miles (100 kilometers).
They also have the lowest frequencies, from about 3,000 cycles per second, or 3
kilohertz, up to about 300 billion hertz, or 300 gigahertz.
The radio spectrum is a limited resource and is often compared to farmland. Just as
farmers must organize their land to achieve the best harvest regarding quantity and
variety, the radio spectrum must be split among users in the most efficient way,
according to the British Broadcasting Corp. (BBC). In the U.S., the National
Telecommunications and Information Administration within the United States
Department of Commerce manages the frequency allocations along the radio spectrum.