Radio Waves

November 12, 2025  •  EPISODE 286

How do invisible waves travel across the world and beyond? In this episode of Science LIVE, Dr. Roger Billings dives into the fascinating science of radio waves—how they’re created, how they move through space, and how they make long-distance communication possible. From the basics of frequency and transmission to early breakthroughs like Morse code and modern applications such as HAM radio and space communication, join us as we explore the hidden currents that keep us connected.

About DrB

Dr. Roger Billings is a visionary innovator whose work has touched the lives of millions of students and transformed the landscape of education. Widely known as “DrB” to the countless kids who benefit from his groundbreaking Acellus learning system, Dr. Billings has dedicated his life to advancing education through technology. As part of DrB’s lifelong commitment to supporting education, Science LIVE was launched as a way to “give back” by mentoring students in conjunction with the Roger Billings Scholarship Program.


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About the Roger Billings Scholarship Program »

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7,622 Comments

  1. Lyanna

    It’s like how I’m learning how to play the piano right now! I have to remember and sometimes it’s really hard

    Reply
  2. Kyler

    There is a lot I didn’t know about radio waves.

    Reply
  3. Brooklyn

    That’s so cool

    Reply
  4. Sidney

    Love this

    Reply
  5. Keamlak

    Interesting episode about invisible waves.

    Reply
  6. Frankie

    I did not know a watch could be in space amazing. happy very late new year from Utah

    Reply
  7. Alana

    Learnig about radio waves is very fun.

    Reply
  8. Tatiana

    This was so fun to listen to!

    Reply
  9. Alexandria

    Neat to learn the difference between AM and FM frequencies and why FM radio sounds better

    Reply
  10. Santino

    Another good video.

    Reply
  11. Jacob

    It’s still surprising how radio waves move all around us without cables, such an amazing thing.

    Reply
  12. October

    Coral looks really cool up close.

    Reply
  13. Eva

    I learned that we have great communication

    Reply
  14. Annabel

    Love this so much!

    Reply
  15. Karen

    I am all into radio waves now

    Reply
  16. Victoria

    Thank you for this!

    Reply
  17. Evan

    Thank you for sharing all this great information with us!

    Reply
  18. Carmela

    i loved this

    Reply
  19. Derrick

    I love radio waves so I can listen to music with my family.

    Reply
  20. Ethan

    I always wanted to know how i hear my friends on the game, That is amazing how this works

    Reply
  21. Grey

    breaking the sound barrier is crazy!

    Reply
  22. Lux

    Here from Tennessee. I love learning

    Reply
  23. Alynnea

    radio waves are so cool to me, the science behind them is so fascinating

    Reply
  24. London

    This is amazing!

    Reply
  25. Kaitlin

    I think how the watch in outer space was cool

    Reply
  26. Samantha

    So crazy how there all around us but we can’t see them

    Reply
  27. Colter

    I think this is very interesting and always wanted to know about this.

    Reply
  28. Tessa

    I did not know that lasers could cool things down when something fluoresces which helps to cool something down. I also was unaware of how much detail goes into every aspect of what goes onto a spaceship. You explained the wavelength concept well to help me understand it better. I liked hearing about the differences between AM and FM stations as well, I always wondered why FM sounded better.

    Reply
  29. Erin

    I liked learning about radio waves.

    Reply
  30. Braven

    Radio waves are really interesting thank you

    Reply
  31. Grace

    The invisible waves are so intresting!

    Reply
  32. Salma

    I love these so much

    Reply
  33. Aidan

    How do invisible waves travel across the world and beyond

    Reply
  34. Claire

    Science rocks!! I’ve also been trying to learn morse code for fun

    Reply
    • Frankie

      Me too

      Reply
  35. Kehlani

    That lizard is funny

    Reply
  36. Phan

    An insightful episode exploring the fascinating science of radio wave communication. I love it.

    Reply
  37. Ryan

    I never knew what frequency meant before.

    Reply
    • Reese

      Man absolutely loved this lesson. It’s always amazed me how cool different waves are especially radio waves! Also loved the lizard haha 😂🫶

      Reply
  38. Mikhail

    I liked the lesson! Radio waves are invisible, but they are all around us. They help the radio play music. It’s like magic!

    Reply
  39. Christopher

    hearing about the apllo 13 mission and how important the watches were is really cool

    Reply
  40. Gunnar

    I love these so much

    Reply
    • Ryanna

      Radio waves 🤯

      Reply
  41. Isabella

    Radio Waves are very interesting!

    Reply
  42. Catalina

    There’s always such interesting facts in these lives!

    Reply
  43. Giselle

    My grandparents and great grandparents were both HAM operators. One even had their handle as their license plate.

    An aviation course would be awesome!

    Reply
  44. Henry

    I don’t know what the world would do without radio waves

    Reply
  45. Logan

    Sometimes you just have to stir things up a bit, right Dr. Billings. Love your radio voice. Thank you for sharing your experiences with us.

    Reply
  46. Kate

    The “Pajet makes me believe in myself” T-shirt is awesome!

    Reply
  47. Nevaeh-angel

    I love learning about Radio waves cause I’ve always wondered about the like fields of any waves and how it worked! This helps a lot!!!

    Reply
  48. Brooke

    Made a bracelet using morse code once. Long beads and short small beads were used to spell whatever you wanted on the bracelet. I wrote “I love you” and gave it to my mom.

    Reply
  49. Violet

    Hearing about the lasers was fascinating! I didn’t know that they could be cold and function like that

    Reply
  50. Axton

    I never knew what AM and FM meant before, that’s so cool.

    Reply
  51. Barkot

    I love science live.

    Reply
  52. Layla

    I find it really interesting how radio waves are used for everything from texting and communicating to WiFi pretty cool.

    Reply
  53. Eilise

    What did one gig say to the other

    hey that hurts!😂🤣

    Reply
  54. Lilyan

    Love science!

    Reply
  55. Trevor

    Does the color of an object affect how hot it gets in the sun?

    Reply
  56. Tyease

    I really like this class

    Reply
  57. Yocabed

    I never know how important radio waves were i can’t imagine life without it.

    Reply
    • Benjamin

      I cannot imagine life without radio waves

      Reply
  58. Marcus

    science is awesome!

    Reply
  59. Cassidy

    I love learning about this stuff it gives me so many tools to put in my tool box

    Reply
  60. Gg

    I want to go to outer space

    Reply
  61. Kaitlyn

    The HAM radio sounds interesting and I think I’ll do my own research on it as well.

    Reply
  62. Megan

    This science live is amazing!

    Reply
  63. Jason

    I was not aware that a laser could cool objects.

    Reply
  64. Jacob

    That’s some amazing knowledge

    Reply
  65. Latrice

    Hello from Texas I’m enjoying Science life

    Reply
  66. Brenan

    Radio waves are crazy how they work.

    Reply
  67. Gavin

    I learned a lot of cool things from this lesson like what frequency is and radio waves

    Reply
  68. Kylanee

    This is so awesome and interesting!

    Reply
  69. Akio

    Thank you Mr. Billings!

    Reply
  70. Hartlee

    Awesome thank you Drb

    Reply
  71. Helen

    My dad said I should buy a radio.

    Reply
  72. Carson

    How can I be more consistent when studying?

    Reply
  73. Opal

    My favorite part of science live, is hands down Tobias! He’s so entertaining… I love anything he talks about. I never has thought about the timing issue, but that makes a whole lot of since why timing would make a HUGE difference!

    Reply
  74. Opal

    My favorite part of science live is listening to Tobias speak. Love the bit he did on watches!!!!

    Reply
  75. Stephany

    i love rewatching these lives! they’re amazing!!

    Reply
  76. Alejandro

    Hello from Guam.

    Reply
  77. Noah

    Having a HAM radio sounds like a fun pastime! It sounds like the people on there are friendly.

    Reply
  78. Elyse

    Watching from Minnesota!

    Reply
  79. Aiden

    how long can someone stay in space?

    Reply
  80. Daria

    I love science! Technology is so interesting to learn about as it becomes more advanced!

    Reply
  81. Maryam

    I love learning about things like radio waves, because they made huge impacts on our lives!

    Reply
  82. Miga

    Thanks for the science live!

    Reply
  83. Celeste

    Science is my favorite subject

    Reply
  84. Xristos

    How many colors can the coral change?

    Reply
  85. Alison

    When I went to the science museum, they had a Morse Code machine. I used it to make my name. It was hard at first to get the right sound and pause to type each letter. I liked using the Morse code machine.

    Reply
  86. Noah

    It is so incredible that the omega watch still worked on the moon and saved the Apollo 13.

    Reply
  87. Jeremiah

    It was fascinating to hear about all the testing that went in to the watches for space travel.

    Reply
  88. Layna

    Science live is the only way I like to learn!!

    Reply
  89. Caleb

    I always can’t wait to watch science live every friday. I wish could watcha new episode everyday.

    Reply
  90. Kaitlyn

    I can’t imagine not being able to know the time!

    Reply
  91. Jax

    Even my mom learned more about radio frequencies.

    Reply
  92. Le

    Dr. billings is the best!

    Reply
  93. Teagan

    I didnt know there were different frequencies!

    Reply
  94. Ethan

    Science live is great

    Reply
  95. Austin

    Can you feel radio waves?

    Reply
  96. Riley

    I never knew lasers could cool things down! It’s amazing what we can manipulate things to do.

    Reply
  97. Nyzirr

    I want a HAM Radio.

    Reply
  98. Trinity

    I have always loved music and I hope that my future career I can accomplish something involved with music and dance.

    Reply
  99. Paxton

    Science is awsome!!!!!

    Reply
  100. Liliana

    So cool about the first watch making it to the moon

    Reply
  101. Duncan

    Do they still sell omega watches today?

    Reply
  102. Ahmed

    This makes me wanna go to the space even more

    Reply
  103. Hannah

    why do northern lights happen only in cold enviornments?

    Reply
  104. Maverick

    radio waves are so cool thank you Acellus I am learning so much

    Reply
  105. Aniah

    This is by far my favorite episode. I’m fascinated with radio waves because of the way they communicate with other devices. Dr. Billings explains everything so well and understandably.

    Reply
  106. Vasiliki

    Thank you Dr Roger

    Reply
  107. Alana

    It’s crazy to think about without our radio waves we wouldn’t have electricity like we do today

    Reply
  108. Liam

    My Mom watched this one with me and told me about sitting in my great grandfather’s lap while he operated a ham radio. He was in the Navy and I also learned that he was a ham radio operator during WWII. I think it would be amazing to have a class on ham radios. Also on Morse Code! My mom also talks about cymatics and frequency – I think those would be cool science lives too!

    Reply
  109. Faye

    We love corals and all the amazing colors under the sea!

    Reply
  110. Sebastein

    I liked the omega watch

    Reply
  111. Joanna

    My step dad does HAM radios. Interesting how it works.

    Reply
  112. Shreyak

    Science Live has helped me learn so much more about science!

    Reply
  113. Liah

    living on the moon would be crazy

    Reply
  114. Elliana

    i love the funny guy

    Reply
  115. Alvin

    That’s cool that a watch went to the moon!

    Reply
  116. Derek

    I like Science Live

    Reply
  117. Kylie

    I love these

    Reply
  118. Genesis

    Thanks for sharing. Who would have thought someone would invent radio waves from copper and a glass and touching it. It seems impossible; even though it happened. This is very entertaining. I will probably be dreaming about something related to the video.

    Reply
  119. Zion

    Radio waves are so intresting.

    Reply
  120. Aubrielle

    interesting lesson!

    Reply
  121. Nicholas

    Hello! Great video. Science Live is so interesting!

    Reply
  122. Seanneah

    i <3 science especially earth & space

    Reply
  123. Sebastian

    How does a wavetravel

    Reply
  124. Alaina

    This was an amazing lesson!

    Reply
  125. Blake

    I think that radio waves are interesting.

    Reply
  126. Faith

    What places today still use ham radio?

    Reply
  127. Juliet

    Wow I would have never guessed radio waves were a thing!

    Reply
  128. Delaney

    how long can someone stay in space, and what would the side effects be after returning back to earth?

    Reply
  129. Lennon

    Tech is so cool!

    Reply
  130. Chloe

    With society relying on radios and technology so much, it’s hard to imagine what it was like for people before radios and so much of our technology were invented.

    Reply
  131. Kilik

    Interesting, Im learning alot.

    Reply
  132. Hadley

    Science Rocks!!

    Reply
  133. Jayce

    Just imagine living in time before radio waves were discovered. Technology keeps advancing. So much of our lives depend on it today.

    Reply
  134. Mia

    If AM varies amplitude and FM varies frequency what the technical reason FM handles static better while AM travels farther?

    Reply
  135. Sage

    I never knew what frequency meant before.

    Reply
  136. Leonardo

    I really like the science live classes:)

    Reply
  137. Forest

    Is the HAM radio the same or different than a CB radio?

    Reply
    • Walter

      Yes CB radio and Ham radio is much different. CB radio has a much shorter range and does not require a license. It also can only operate on one given frequency while Ham radio can operate on almost all frequencies. Ham radio requires a license and can operate on a ton of frequencies, plus gatherings such as Ham fests and communities are also created with Ham radio.

      Reply
  138. Tristan

    Great live!

    Reply
  139. Sadie

    Tobias’s lesson on the watch was very interesting!! Love the shirts!

    Reply
  140. Matthew

    how long can someone stay in space ?

    Reply
  141. Destiny

    Destiny here, hi from Alabama!!

    Reply
    • Brayden

      Mississippi 😎

      Reply
  142. Abigail

    I love all the colors of the coral! It would be cool to see them in person!

    Reply
  143. Patrick

    I would want the aviation class it sounds realy nice!!!!!!

    Reply
  144. Xavier

    I like the parts with R-51 at the end of the science lives. Sometimes they’re very funny.

    Reply
  145. Felice

    Thanks for the awesome video. I was wondering two things. One, do people still frequently use the HAM radio and also, who came up with the idea of morse code

    Reply
  146. Averly

    this is so cool! okay so is it possible for someone to see radio waves?

    Reply
    • Tahje

      I never would have imagined lasers can cool things down. Science live teaches you new things everytime

      Reply
    • Danielle

      Good lesson 👏 👌

      Reply
  147. Jonathan

    Science live is so interesting!

    Reply
  148. Lila

    Thank you so much, Dr. Billings. I enjoy your videos.

    Reply
  149. Layton

    I think being in space as an astronaut would be awesome. I’d love to see space and radios there

    Reply
  150. Laura

    Happy Thanksgiving 🦃 everyone at Acellus. Great motivating science love. I think a class with pilot education would be amazing or a asa extra activity to see how well you can fly with a simulation. I also think Morse code is great to learn so is HAM radio. Also if classes had diy safe things to make at home.

    Reply
  151. Brandon

    It is amazing that lasers can cool things down!

    Reply
  152. Helen

    Thank you so much for this one – my dad said next year we can work on building a radio!

    Reply
  153. Emma

    I thought this was going to be boring but it is fun and really cool i am surprised

    Reply
  154. Sofia

    i love learning with acellus!

    Reply
  155. Liberti

    Today’s science live was awesome!

    Reply
  156. Olivia

    We learned about Morse Code last summer – it is so cool!

    Reply
  157. Abigail

    is it possible for someone to be able to see radio waves?

    Reply
  158. Mikcal

    I liked the part about the robots

    Reply
  159. Peja

    This video is awesome I love science live!

    Reply
  160. Ella

    My grandparents and great grandparents were both HAM operators. One even had their handle as their license plate.

    An aviation course would be awesome!

    Reply
  161. Mia

    I did not know a watch would work in outer space. Very cool!!!

    Reply
  162. Eliana

    Wait, how long astronaut can be in space?

    Reply
  163. Priscilla

    This is one of the most fascinating inventions that I have ever heard and seen! Thank you Acellus for sharing the information and keep inspiring students!

    Reply
  164. Giselle

    The quantam computer is crazy.

    Reply
  165. Tamyah

    I like the Morse Code part of this video and how it works. I like how you can send different signals through morse code.

    Reply
  166. Talia

    This is very educational and helps me get a better understanding, thank you science live!!

    Reply
  167. Bella

    What are different types of radio waves and their uses?

    Reply
  168. Ryker

    Acellus is wonderful!

    Reply
  169. Aydan

    Thank you ☺️ Happy Thanksgiving

    Reply
  170. Gabriel

    One day my songs will be played over the radio waves

    Reply
    • Chloe

      I believe that they will!!!! =) <3

      Reply
  171. Emma

    Happy Thanksgiving to everyone at Science Live!

    Reply
    • Robert

      You too happy Thanksgiving

      Reply
  172. Layna

    I know I’m late to this one but I was super bust the other week so I wanted to come back and watch this anyways thank you so much for always helping me learn something new and amazing it is truly inspiring

    Reply
  173. Fenton

    I find it fascinating about the new semi conductors that are being tested right now that will impact our future. It seems that diamonds are a more important stone than just to be used on wedding rings. Science live is so interesting!

    Reply
  174. Chyanne

    Acellus is great!

    Reply
  175. Amber

    This is always so fascinating to me, radio waves. I’m glad to finally know what AM and FM radio actually means now!

    Reply

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