Scribd
Upload
582 views

Light and The Electromagnetic Spectrum

Electromagnetic waves consist of electric and magnetic fields that oscillate perpendicular to each other and travel at the speed of light. The electromagnetic spectrum arranges electromagnetic waves from radio waves to gamma rays based on their wavelength and frequency. Only a small portion of the spectrum, visible light, is detectable by the human eye. Each region of the spectrum, including radio, microwaves, infrared, visible light, ultraviolet, X-rays, and gamma rays, has unique properties and applications in areas like communication, heating, vision, medicine, and astronomy.

Uploaded by

api-94846453
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
582 views

Light and The Electromagnetic Spectrum

Electromagnetic waves consist of electric and magnetic fields that oscillate perpendicular to each other and travel at the speed of light. The electromagnetic spectrum arranges electromagnetic waves from radio waves to gamma rays based on their wavelength and frequency. Only a small portion of the spectrum, visible light, is detectable by the human eye. Each region of the spectrum, including radio, microwaves, infrared, visible light, ultraviolet, X-rays, and gamma rays, has unique properties and applications in areas like communication, heating, vision, medicine, and astronomy.

Uploaded by

api-94846453
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 18

Light and the Electromagnetic Spectrum

Image source
http://www.pion.cz/_sites/pion/upload/images/a1
4cf10a5583d19f7cfdebd63cf64382_electromagn

Electromagnetic Waves
- consists of an electric field and a magnetic field
- are transverse waves

Image source https://www.ndeed.org/EducationResources/CommunityCollege/RadiationSafety/Graphics/elec_mag_field.gif

- do not involve vibrating particles and can


travel in a vacuum unlike other waves
- travel at 300,000 km / sec
( the speed of light) in a vacuum
- they will travel at slower speeds when going
through denser materials

Electromagnetic Spectrum
- the different electromagnetic waves are
arranged according to their wavelengths and
frequencies
- the amount of energy that is carried depends on
the frequency
- higher frequencies have higher energy
- only a small section of the spectrum is visible
to our naked eyes

Image source
http://chemed.chem.purdue.edu/genchem/topicreview/bp/ch6/graphics/spectrum.gif

Radio waves
- lowest frequency and longest wavelength
- produced when charged particles move
back and forth in an antenna

- we can vary (modulate) either the size (amplitude)


or the frequency of the waves (AM amplitude
modulation or FM frequency modulation)

- radio waves can be interfered with


(mountains , metal structures)

Image source http://i.imgur.com/jJprF.png

- radio waves can be used in medicine to


create pictures (MRI)
- astronomy uses radio telescopes to
"listen" in on space objects

Microwaves
- a special type of radio wave
- microwaves in oven pass through some
things and absorbed by others
- used in communication signals in cell phones etc.
- RADAR - radio detecting and ranging
use microwaves as well
- send out waves and detect them as they bounce
off an object

police use radar and the doppler effect to register


speed
-

Image source http://hyperphysics.phy-str.gsu.edu/hbase/sound/imgsou/policerad.gif

Infrared
- waves with frequencies just below visible
light frequencies
- can be felt as heat
- infrared cameras and goggles show images of
the heat from an object
- thermograms are special pictures showing hot
and cold areas

Visible light
- these frequencies can be detected by
eye nerve receptors
- each color has its own frequency
- R ed O range Y ellow G reen B lue I ndigo
V iolet
- nearly half the energy from the sun is
visible light

Ultraviolet
- just beyond the violet visible portion
- these rays have a higher frequency and
therefore can do more tissue damage
- used to kill bacteria
- some insects can "see" this range
- these wavelengths cause sunburns and
many skin cancers

- the ozone layer in the atmosphere protects


life on Earth from most of the ultraviolet
rays from the sun

Image source http://www.weatherquestions.com/ozone_layer.jpg

X Rays
- have even more energy than ultraviolet so can
pass through many things
- softer material allows them through but
denser things (bone) do not
- X Rays are helpful but can also cause
mutations leading to cancer when overused
-- lead aprons used to protect parts from
exposure to the X rays during some medical tests

Gamma
- these have the highest frequencies
and therefore most penetrating
- they can be used in medicine (as dyes) to
help detect diseases

The Nature of Light


-- electromagnetic radiation such as light have
both wave and particle properties
photon -- a packet of electromagnetic radiation
of definite energy

You might also like