Scribd Logo
Upload

Welcome to Scribd!

  • 561 views

    Light and The Electromagnetic Spectrum

    Uploaded by

    api-94846453
    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.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Light and The Electromagnetic Spectrum

    Uploaded by

    api-94846453
    561 views18 pages
    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.

    Original Title

    light and the electromagnetic spectrum

    Copyright

    © © All Rights Reserved

    Available Formats

    PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Did you find this document useful?

    Is this content inappropriate?

    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.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pptx, pdf, or txt
    561 views18 pages

    Light and The Electromagnetic Spectrum

    Uploaded by

    api-94846453
    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.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pptx, pdf, or txt
    You are on page 1of 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