Technician exam question T3B04
Subelement T3, RADIO WAVE PROPAGATION· Group T3B
What is the velocity of a radio wave traveling through free space?
- A.Speed of light (correct answer)
- B.Speed of sound
- C.0.86 times the speed of light
- D.1.86 times the speed of sound
WhyA radio wave traveling through free space moves at the speed of light. In free space, with nothing to slow it down, a radio wave travels at the speed of light, since radio waves and visible light are both electromagnetic radiation, just at different frequencies, answer A. Sound waves (B, D) are a completely different physical phenomenon, mechanical pressure waves, that travel roughly a million times slower, and 0.86 times the speed of light (C) isn't a real conversion factor for a wave traveling through free space.
Published 2026-08-28 · Last updated 2026-08-28 · Question text is verbatim from the 2026-2030 NCVEC Element 2 pool (public domain); the explanation above is original writing, see our methodology.
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