How does radiation travel through space?

Radiation travels through space in straight lines due to its wave-particle duality. This behavior is characteristic of electromagnetic radiation, which includes visible light, radio waves, X-rays, and more. When radiation moves through a vacuum, it propagates as a series of electromagnetic waves that travel in straight paths.

This property is fundamental to understanding how light and other forms of radiation reach us from various sources, such as the sun or distant stars. The straight-line propagation is often idealized in basic physics concepts; in practice, the presence of gravitational fields can cause paths to bend, but this does not alter the fundamental nature of radiation traveling in straight lines in free space.

The other choices suggest different types of motion that do not accurately describe the behavior of radiation. While waves can exhibit complex patterns, their primary propagation in a vacuum is linear, unless interacting with matter or fields that cause deflection or dispersion.