Electromagnetic radiation has properties of both waves and particles. It travels at the speed of light in a vacuum and its frequency or wavelength can be calculated using a specific equation. As EM radiation has a particle nature, the energy of individual photons can also be calculated using Planck's constant and the frequency, with higher frequencies corresponding to higher energies. The EM spectrum consists of different types of radiation ordered from lowest to highest energy: radio waves, microwaves, infrared, visible light, ultraviolet, X-rays, and gamma rays, with gamma rays being the most energetic and penetrating.