ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVES Light

Light as a wave: Light behaves as a transverse wave

and ELECTROMAGNETIC SPECTRUM
which we can filter using polarized lenses.
Wave
Light as particles (photons): When directed at a
 is a disturbance that transfers energy as it substance light can knock electrons off of a substance
propagates from one region of the system to (Photoelectric effect)
the other.
PROPERTIES OF EM WAVE
Vibration
1. All electromagnetic waves are transverse
 is the source of a wave. waves.
2. They do not require any medium to travel
Medium through (recall: Radiation→ Infra red is an EM
 is the material where waves travel Wave)
3. They travel at the speed of 3x10 ms¹ in vacuum
(ex. Air, water, vacuum, etc.) (recall: speed of light → light is also an EM
Wave)
Classification of waves:
4. They can all be reflected or refracted.
Mechanical waves 5. They can all be emitted or absorb by matter
6. They all obey the wave equation.
 require a medium of propagation

E.g. sound wave, water wave

Electromagnetic waves

 do not require a medium of propagation

because these waves can propagate in a
vacuum.

E.g. infrared, x – ray, radio wave

 Are made by vibrating electric charges and can 7. 7. Their frequencies do not change as they pass
travel through space by transferring energy from one medium to another. However, both
between vibrating electric and magnetic fields. their speed and wavelength will change.
 Any moving electric charge is surrounded by an
electric field and a magnetic field.

Making Electromagnetic Waves

 When an electric charge vibrates, the electric 8. They carry energy from one place to another.
field around it changes creating a changing 9. They are all of neutral charge as all of them
magnetic field oscillate with electric and magnetic field
 The magnetic and electric fields create each perpendicular to each other.
other again and again.

Waves or Particles?

• Electromagnetic radiation has properties of waves

but also can be thought of as a stream of particles.

The Electromagnetic Spectrum Visible Light Remembering the Order

 The EM spectrum is the ENTIRE range of EM ROY G. BV

waves in order of increasing frequency and
 red
decreasing wavelength
 orange
 As you go from left → right, the wavelengths
 yellow
get smaller and the frequencies get higher. This
 green
is an inverse relationship between wave size
and frequency. (As one goes up, the other goes  blue
down.) This is because the speed of ALL EM  violet
waves is the speed of light (300,000 km/s) Ultraviolet Light:
The EM Waves  Wavelengths range from 400 nm to 100 nm; the
Radio waves: frequency (and therefore the energy) is high
enough with UV rays to penetrate living cells
 Have the longest wavelengths and the lowest and cause them damage.
frequencies; wavelengths range from 1000s of  Although we cannot see UV light, bees, bats,
meters to .001 m butterflies,some small rodents and birds can.
 UV on our skin produces vitamin D in our
Microwaves:
bodies. Too much
 are radio waves with wavelengths less than 30  UV can lead to sunburn and skin cancer. UV rays
cm and higher frequency & shorter wavelength. are easily blocked by clothing.
 Used in: RADAR, cooking food, satellite  Used in: sterilization and disinfection (because
transmissions, MRI. they kill bacteria), creating fluorescent effects,
black light, curing inks and resins, phototherapy
Infrared waves (heat):
and sun tanning.
 Have a shorter wavelength, from .001 m to 700
Some Facts about UV’s
nm, and therefore, a higher frequency.
 Used for finding people in the dark and in TV  UVC is called “germicidal UV” because it is able
remote control devices to directly disable the strands of DNA in
 Below red shorter wavelength and higher bacteria and viruses and make them inert.
frequency than microwaves. Inactivated bacteria and viruses are as good as
dead because they are not able to reproduce
Thermogram—a picture that shows regions of different
and multiply
temperatures in the body. Temperatures are calculated  Very hot objects emit some amount of UV
by the amount of infrared radiation given off. radiation. The hotter the object, the more UV is
emitted. Observing and recording the UV from
Visible light:
astronomical objects such as planets in our
 Wavelengths range from 700 nm (red light) to solar system, stars, nebulae and galaxies
300 nm (violet light) with frequencies higher enables us to gain extra information such as the
than infrared waves. temperature and chemical composition of these
 These are the waves in the EM spectrum that objects.
humans can see.  The only problem is that our Earth’s ozone layer
 Visible light waves are a very small part of the absorbs much of the UV and so these
EM spectrum! observations need to be made outside the
 Used in: Fiber Optics, LASIK, Endoscopy Earth’s atmosphere

Longest wavelength= red light

Shortest wavelength= violet (purple) light

X-Rays:

 Wavelengths from 10 nm to .001 nm. These

rays have enough energy to penetrate deep
into tissues and cause damage to cells; are
stopped by dense materials, such as bone.
 Used to look at solid structures, such as bones
and bridges (for cracks), and for treatment of
cancer.

USES OF X-RAYS

 Bones and teeth absorb x-rays. (The light part of

an xray image indicates a place where the x-ray
was absorbed)
 Used by engineers to check for tiny cracks in
structures. The rays pass through the cracks and
the cracks appear dark on film

Gamma Rays:

 Carry the most energy and have the shortest

wavelengths, less than one trillionth of a meter
(10-12).
 Gamma rays have enough energy to go through Efects of Radiation
most materials easily; you would need a 3-4 ft
• Short Term Effects (ex. sunburn, vomiting,
thick concrete wall to stop them!
 Gamma rays are released by nuclear reactions headaches, hairloss, tiredness, hearing loss
in nuclear power plants, by nuclear bombs, and
• Long Term Effects (DNA Mutation: cancer and
by naturally occurring elements on Earth.
Sometimes used in the treatment of cancers. cardiovascular effects)
Radiotherapy Protection from Radiation

 A linear accelerator generates x-rays/gamma •Shielding

rays. It rotates around the body, irradiating the
•Time Exposure
tumour from all directions
•Dosage
How Radiation Therapy Works Against Cancer?

 At high doses, radiation therapy kills cancer

cells or slows their growth by damaging their
DNA. Cancer cells whose DNA is damaged
beyond repair stop dividing or die. When the
damaged cells die, they are broken down and
removed by the body.
 Radiation therapy does not kill cancer cells right
away. It takes days or weeks of treatment
before DNA is damaged enough for cancer cells
to die. Then, cancer cells keep dying for weeks
or months after radiation therapy ends.