180 Unit 6 Electromagnetic Waves and Geometrical Optics

6.2 EM Spectrum
By the end of this section, you should be able to:
• describe what an EM spectrum is;

• describe and explain the differences and similarities of the spec-

trum’s of EM waves;
Exercise 6.3
What do you know • describe the uses and dangers of the spectrum’s of EM waves.
about the EM
spectrum? As shown in Figure 6.2, an EM spectrum is the complete range of EM wave
frequencies and wavelengths. At one end of the spectrum, the waves have
a low frequency, a long wavelength, and low energy. At the other end of
the spectrum, the waves have a high frequency, a short wavelength, and
high energy. All of the waves, from radio waves to visible light to gamma
rays, are the same kind of wave. They differ from each other only by their
frequencies, wavelengths, and energies.

You briefly describe these different spectrum’s of EM wave, in order of

decreasing wavelengths.

Figure 6.2 The EM spectrum.

6.2 EM Spectrum 181

Radio waves
Radio waves are made by various types of transmitters, depending on the Key Concept
wavelength. They are also given off by stars, sparks, and lightning, which
 The EM spec-
is why you hear interference on your radio in a thunderstorm. They have
trum consists
the lowest frequencies in the EM spectrum, ranging from 500 kHz to about
of the following
1000 MHz and a wavelength of around 1 meter to thousands of meters.
types of radia-
tion: radio waves,
They are used mainly for communications purposes like police radio com- microwaves, in-
munications, military aircraft radios and television transmissions. On frared, visible,
the other hand, large doses of radio waves are believed to cause cancer, ultraviolet, X-rays,
leukaemia and other disorders. gamma-rays.
Gamma-rays have
the highest energy
Microwaves
and are the most
Microwaves are basically extremely high-frequency radio waves, and are penetrating, while
made by various types of transmitters. In a mobile phone, they are made radio waves have
by a transmitter chip and an antenna; in a microwave oven, they are made the lowest energy
by a "magnetron". Their wavelength is usually a couple of centimeters. and are the least
Stars also give off microwaves. penetrating.

Microwaves cause water and fat molecules to vibrate which makes the
substances hot. Thus, you can use microwaves to cook many types of
food. Mobile phones use microwaves, which can be generated by a small
antenna. They are also used by traffic speed cameras, and for radar, which
is used by aircraft, ships and weather forecasters.

Prolonged exposure to microwaves is known to cause "cataracts" in your

eyes which is a clouding of the cornea. So do not make it a habit of pressing
your face against the microwave oven door to see if your food is ready.
Microwaves from mobile phones can affect parts of your brain as you are
holding the transmitter right by your head. The current advice is to keep
calls short. To avoid being harmed by the powerful radar units in modern
military planes,people who work on aircraft carrier decks wear special
suits which reflect microwaves.
182 Unit 6 Electromagnetic Waves and Geometrical Optics

Infrared waves
Infrared waves are just below visible red light in the EM spectrum. You
probably think of Infrared waves as heat because they are given off by hot
objects and you can feel them as warmth on your skin. Infrared waves
are also given off by stars, lamps, flames and anything else that is warm
including you.

Infrared waves are used for many tasks, for example, as remote controls
for TVs and video recorders and physiotherapists use heat lamps to help
heal sports injuries. Infrared waves are used to see objects in the dark.
Police helicopters track criminals at night using cameras that can see in
the dark. Night sights for weapons sometimes use a sensitive infrared
detector. Weather forecasters use satellite pictures to see what is heading
our way. Some of the images they use were taken using infrared cameras,
because they show cloud and rain patterns more clearly.

Exercise 6.4 The danger from too much infrared radiation is very simple: it simply
makes you hot.
What are the uses
and dangers of
each of the EM Visible Light
spectrum?
Our eyes can detect only a tiny part of the EM spectrum called visible light.
The frequency of visible light ranges between about 4 × 1014 Hz to 7 × 1014
Hz. Its wavelength in vacuum ranges between about 700 nm and 400 nm.
Visible light, emitted or reflected from objects around us gives us with
information about the world. The color of the visible spectrum will be
discussed in detail in Section 6.8 of this unit.

You use light to see things. As the Sun sends so much light towards our
planet, you have evolved to make use of those particular wavelengths in
order to sense our environment.

Too much light can damage the retina in your eye. This can happen when
you look at something very bright such as the Sun. Although the damage
6.2 EM Spectrum 183

Figure 6.3 Visible spectrum.

can heal, if it is too bad, it will be permanent.

Ultraviolet rays
Ultraviolet (UV) rays covers wavelengths ranging from about 4 × 10−7 m
(400 nm) down to 6×10−10 m (0.6 nm). UV radiation is produced by special
lamps and very hot bodies. The sun is also an important source of UV light.
But fortunately, most of it is absorbed in the ozone layer in the atmosphere
at an altitude of about 40 to 50 km.

Uses for UV light include getting a sun tan, detecting forged bank notes in
shops and hardening some types of dental filling. You also see UV lamps
in discos where they make your clothes glow. When you mark your posses-
sions with a security marker pen, the ink is invisible unless you shine a UV
lamp at it. UV rays can be used to kill microbes. Hospitals use UV lamps to
sterilize surgical equipment and the air in operating theaters. Food and
drug companies also use UV lamps to sterilize their products. Suitable
doses of UV rays cause the body to produce vitamin D, and this is used by
doctors to treat vitamin D deficiency and some skin disorders.
184 Unit 6 Electromagnetic Waves and Geometrical Optics

Large doses of UV can damage the retinas in your eyes, so it is important

to check that your sunglasses will block UV light. If your sunglasses do
not block UV, you will actually get more UV light on your retinas than if
you did not wear them. Large doses of UV cause sunburn and even skin
cancer. Fortunately, the ozone layer in the Earth’s atmosphere screens us
from most of the UV given off by the Sun.

X-rays
X-rays are very high frequency waves and carry a lot of energy. They will
pass through most substances, and this makes them useful in medicine
and industry to see inside things. X-rays are given off by stars and strongly
by some types of nebula. When you use X-rays, you make them by firing
a beam of electrons at a "target". If you fire the electrons with enough
energy, X-rays will be produced.

X-rays are used by doctors to see the inside parts of a patient. X-rays are
also used in airport security checks to see inside your luggage. They are
also used by astronomers as many objects in the universe emit X-rays,
which you can detect using suitable radio telescopes.

X-rays can cause cell damage and cancers. This is why Radiographers in
hospitals stand behind a shield when they X-ray their patients.

Gamma rays
Gamma rays are given off by stars and by some radioactive substances.
They are extremely high frequency waves and carry a large amount of
energy. They pass through most materials and are quite difficult to stop;-
you need lead or concrete in order to block them out.

Because gamma rays can kill living cells, they are used to kill cancer cells
without having to resort to difficult surgery. This is called "Radiotherapy"
and works because cancer cells cannot repair themselves like healthy cells
6.2 EM Spectrum 185

can when damaged by gamma rays. In industry, radioactive "tracer" sub-

stances can be put into pipes and machinery, then you can detect where
the substances go. This is basically the same use as in medicine. Gamma
rays kill microbes and are used to sterilize food so that it will keep fresh for
longer. This is known as "irradiated" food. Gamma rays are also used to
sterilize medical equipment.

Gamma rays cause cell damage and can cause a variety of cancers. They
cause mutations in growing tissues and hence, unborn babies are espe-
cially vulnerable.

Section summary

• The EM spectrum is made up of a broad range of frequencies

of EM radiation.

• Each type of the EM spectrum have their own benefits and

side effects.

Review questions

1. Mention one source of EM waves.

2. Arrange the following types of EM radiation in order of in-

creasing frequency: infrared, X-rays, UV rays, visible light, and
gamma.

3. Discuss on the use of each type of EM spectrum.

4. Describe the dangers of each type of EM spectrum.

186 Unit 6 Electromagnetic Waves and Geometrical Optics

6.3 Light as a wave

By the end of this section, you should be able to:
• illustrate the propagation of light;

• describe the medium of propagation of light;

Exercise 6.5 • describe the speed of light waves.

Does light require
In the previous section, you learnt that light is a form of EM wave. Light is,
a medium to
travel?
thus, another type of wave that carries energy. The light that humans can
see is called a ’visible light’.

Medium of propagation of light

Like other waves, light waves can travel through matter. Although it travels
through matter, it is different from waves like water and sound waves. This
is because light is an EM wave and it can pass through a vacuum. That is
Key Concept why you can see light from the moon, distant stars, and galaxies.
 As light is an
EM wave, it can Speed of light
travel in a vacuum
as well as through An EM wave, including light, is special because, no matter what the fre-
materials such quency, it all moves at a constant velocity (in a vacuum), which is known
as air, water, and as the speed of light. The speed of light has the symbol c and is equal to
glass. 2.99792458 × 108 m/s ≈ 3.00 × 108 m/s.

In reality, nothing travels faster than the speed of light. Thus, in empty
space, light travels at a speed of about 300,000 kilometers. Light travels so
fast that light emitted from the Sun travels 150 million km to Earth in only
Exercise 6.6 about eight and a half minutes. Even though light travels incredibly fast,
stars other than the Sun are so far away that it takes years for the light they
How do you know
that light trav- emit to reach Earth.
els through a
vacuum? On the other hand, when light travels through matter, it interacts with the
atoms and molecules in the material and slows down. As a result, light
6.3 Light as a wave 187

travels fastest in empty space, and slowest in solids. In glass, for example,
light travels about 197,000 km/s.

Because all EM waves in a vacuum have the same speed c (i.e., speed of Key Concept
light), it follows that:
 EM waves
in general and
c = λ×f (6.1)
light in par-
where λ is the wavelength of the EM wave, and f is the frequency of the ticular travel

EM wave. Thus, the greater the frequency of an EM wave, the smaller its with a speed of

wavelength becomes. 3.00 × 108 m/s in a

vacuum.

Example 6.1

Find the frequency of red light with a wavelength of 700 nm.

Solution:
You are given that λ = 700 nm and c = 3.00 × 108 m/s. You are asked to find
the frequency.

You can obtain the frequency by rearranging the formula c = λ × f , to yield

c 3 × 108 m/s
f = = = 4.29 × 1014 H z
λ 700 × 10−9 m

Example 6.2

An FM radio station broadcasts EM radiation at a frequency of 103.4 MHz.

Calculate the wavelength of this radiation.

Solution:
In this example, you are given f = 103.4 M H z and c = 3.00×108 m/s. What
you want to find is the wavelength, λ.

From the expression c = λ × f, you can easily derive for λ. Thus,

c 3 × 108 m/s
λ= = = 2.9 m
f 103.4 × 106 H z