# Do radio waves go faster than the speed of light? [closed]

My science teacher used to say a lot of weird stuff, but I'm just making sure on this one.

## closed as too localized by Waffle's Crazy Peanut, ManishearthJun 22 '13 at 7:04

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No. Radio waves ARE light, and so they travel at the speed of light.

Possible exception:

The speed of light $c$ that is always talked about as the "speed limit of the Universe" is the speed of light in vacuum. Light travels slower in a medium, and how much slower can be dependent on the wavelength of the light. So, in the right medium, radio waves could travel faster than optical waves, but I wouldn't call this "faster than light"; that would be very misleading...

• Glad to help :) If you feel the answer is a satisfactory answer to your question, please accept it. – Kyle Oman Jun 21 '13 at 18:50
• My science teacher said that her husband was a physics professor...sooooooooooooooooo... – Joe Pigott Jun 24 '13 at 16:21
• In that case, your science teacher probably hasn't understood her husband's explanations. @Kyle 's explanation is right. – Thriveth Jun 26 '13 at 22:47

No.

Radio waves are a form of electromagnetic radiation and so, by definition they travel at the speed of light (in a vacuum).

Have a look at the Wiki article on EM radiation, and more specifically, Radio Waves