Electromagnetic Waves - formed when an electric field comes in contact with a magnetic field.
Oscillation - movement of waves
Transverse Wave - consists of oscillations (ripples on water)
Longitudinal Wave - vertical lines (compressions are compact lines while rarefactions are spread out)
Parts of a Wave:
● Crest - highest point
● Trough - lowest point
○ One wavelength is the horizontal distance between two troughs or two crests
○ The vertical distance between the crest and the central axis is the amplitude
○ Frequency refers to the number of full wavelengths that pass through space every second
● Amplitude - height of the radio wave
● Frequency - how close the waves are to each other
TYPE DESCRIPTION USES PROS CONS
RADIO - lowest frequency - communication - can be used for - interference of
- longest wavelengths - TV communication other radio waves
- A.M. - cellphone - can travel long can be a problem
- amplitude - radios distances to carry
modulation - radio telescopes messages
- F.M. - can be used to
- frequency save lives
modulation - better navigation
MICROWAVE - causes molecules to jiggle - cooking - no wiring is - prolonged
or heat up - weather mapping needed to connect exposure can
- can pass through - radar and devices to the cause cataracts in
non-metal materials, such satellite internet your eyes which is
as plastic and glass communications - communication clouding of lens
- are absorbed by materials - cellphones with wireless affecting vision
with high water content - TV signals technology is - can affect brain
and produce heat - GPS navigation portable and with prolonged
- long range convenient exposure from
telescopes - can easily pass cell phones
through the ions -
INFRARED - between 700 nm - palm healing - you can detect - can cause minor
(nanometers) and 1 mm - heat lamps and people inside burns and
toasters burning buildings cataracts with
- industrial heaters and cars too much
for drying and - useful in military exposure
curing materials for identifying - laser pointers
- incandescent targeting can damage your
bulbs - used in scientific eyes
- heat sensitive experimentation to
thermal cameras identify the heat of HAZARDS
- security an object - Electric shocks
- warfare - Injury to eyes
- nocturnal - Dehydration
animal
research
- remote controls
LIGHT - visible electromagnetic - allows humans to - easy to produce - a bright light can
wavelengths see color - used to collect be blinding and
- colors of the rainbow - allows us to see data damage the eyes
- longest wavelength is red and detect our - seeing color
and shortest wavelength is surroundings - very fast
violet - you can see - increased
- when all waves are seen farther and clearer alertness
together, white light is seen with instruments
or tools
- can be used to
collect data
ULTRAVIOLET - invisible - astronomy - stimulates vitamin - causes skin
- produced by the sun (chemical D cancer
- shortest of solar composition, - alleviates psoriasis - suppressing
wavelengths temp) - stimulates effect on immune
- UVA - fluorescence melatonin system
- Longest (making more production - damage to eyes
wavelengths luminous, invisible - helps animals’ - damages
- Closest to visible ink) vision synthetic
light - sterilization and - sterilization and materials
- Can cause skin disinfection disinfection - pigments can
damage, skin - body vitamins change color as
cancer (vitamin D) they absorb UV
- UVB - beauty purposes light
- Longer - Tanning
wavelengths beds
- Can cause tans - Nail techs
and sunburns to dry nail
- UVC polish
- Shortest faster
wavelengths
- Absorbed by
ozone layer
X-RAY - can pass through many - x ray radiography - diagnostic tool for - can cause
materials opaque to light is used for providing clear pics cellular damage
- a image of the internal diagnosis of internal which can lead to
composition of something - transportation structures cancer or
is produced by x rays being security - x rays can infertility
passed through it and inspections of illuminate the - can cause birth
being absorbed to diff cargo, luggage, skeletal system to defects in unborn
degrees by diff materials and passengers, diagnose broken children
- soft x rays - nondestructive bones or joint
- Short wavelength evaluation and damage
overlaps light testing - can confirm
waves applications for existence of kidney
- hard x rays identifying flaws or stones or gallstones
- Overlap with cracks in structural - quicky and easy
gamma rays components
- x rays are produced by - can strip
accelerating electrons electrons from
atoms and
molecules to alter
their properties
- cell damage can
also fight cancer
by directing x rays
at cancerous
tumors to
demolish the
abnormal cells
GAMMA RAY - generated from violent - to treat - help with cancer - most dangerous
energetic events such as cancerous tumors because it can form of radiation
star explosions by damaging the penetrate deeply emitted by a
- nuclear fission, fusion, DNA of tumor cells into the human nuclear explosion
and decay reaction can also - diagnostic tool body because of the
be used to generate gamma - to detect defects - help in difficulty of
rays in metal castings understanding shielding them
- they are the highest and find the weak astronomy - lingering
energy form of light spots in welded - enhancing radioactivity from
- most powerful and structures protection for bombs can
dangerous (airports/hotels) satellites and other damage our
- gamma ray bursts - to preserve food electronics on earth health
originate in collisions of - to sterilize
compact objects such as medical
neutron stars equipment
- Long duration
(more than 2
seconds)
- Short duration
(less than 2
seconds)
EXTRA NOTES FOR LIGHT WAVES:
How was visible light discovered?
Isaac Newton used two prisms and observed that the white light separates to the ROYGBIV colors then
recombines to white light showing how light is a combination of colors
How are we able to perceive light waves?
When light hits an object, the object absorbs some of the light or colors then reflects the rest to our eyes. The
color that is reflected is the color we see.
Absorption lines - pattern of dark lines
As the temperature of an object increases, they radiate energy dominated by shorter wavelengths which
changes the color
- A torch changes from color red to blue as it gets hotter
- The coolest type of star is red while the hottest is blue
In relation to frequency:
● Monochromatic - one frequency only (ROYGBIV)
● Polychromatic - many different frequencies
○ White light
○ Light with more than one color
○ Light of more than one wavelength
● EXAMPLE: regular light is polychromatic while laser light is monochromatic
FORMULAS AND PROBLEM SOLVING:
1. How long does it take for light from the sun reach earth?
Average distance of the sun to the earth = 92.58 million miles
8
Speed of light = 3.00 x 10 m/s
8
2. What is the wavelength of a microwave that has a frequency of 4.2 x 10 Hz?
