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ODULE 5: ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVES

THE NATURE OF ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVES

We have said that an electric charge produces an electric
field. An oscillating charge will produce an oscillating
electric field, which in turn produces an oscillating magnetic
field. Electromagnetic waves, or electromagnetic radiations,
are produced by oscillating electric charges, with the electric
field and the magnetic field vibrating perpendicularly to
each other and to the direction of wave propagation. Hence,
electromagnetic waves are transverse waves.
Figure 1 shows the magnetic and electric components of
an electromagnetic wave.

 RADIO WAVES

Radio waves are the longest of all electromagnetic waves,

ranging from 10-1m co 104 m. The frequency of radio waves
ranges from 30 kHz to 3 000 MHz. This frequency range is
divided into specific bands for wireless communication.
Table 1 lists these radio bands.
Table 1
RADIO FREQUENCY BANDS
In 1862, Scottish physicist James Clerk Maxwell predicted
Type of Frequency Common Applications
the existence of electromagnetic waves. But it was only in
Frequency Range
1887, through the efforts of Heinrich Hertz, a German Low frequency 30 - 300 kHz Long - distance communication
physicist, that those waves (other than light) were observed and navigation
to exist. Medium 300 - 3 000 kHz AM radio broadcasting (AM
Electromagnetic waves follow the basic wave equation that frequency stands for amplitude modulation)
High frequency 3 - 30 MHz Shortwave broadcasting, tags for
relates speed of propagation (v), frequency (f) and use in building access, public
wavelength ( ). transportation, and electronic
payment systems
v=f Very high 30 - 300 MHz FM radio broadcasting (FM stands
In a vacuum or air, all electromagnetic waves travel at a frequency for frequency modulation) ,
common speed equal to 3 x 108 m/s. This speed is usually ground - to -aircraft and aircraft -
represented by a small letter c. to- aircraft communication
Ultra - high 300 - 3 000 MHz Police radio communication,
frequency military aircraft and television
THE REGIONS OF THE ELECTROMAGNETIC transmission, modern mobile
SPECTRUM AND THEIR USES phones, and global positioning
system.
The electromagnetic (EM) spectrum is the continuous range
of electromagnetic waves arranged in order of frequency or Radar is an acronym for radio detection and ranging. It
wavelength. It is divided into regions on the basis of a makes use of radio waves for detection objects, weather
certain frequency or wavelength interval. The names forecasting, military surveillance, and air traffic control as
assigned to these regions are only for convenience in well as monitoring speed in highway patrol and tracking
locating the position of the wave in the spectrum. There is satellites and debris.
no sharp dividing point between one type of wave and the Automatic doors, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth are familiar
next type. Figure 2 shows the different regions in the technologies that make use of radio waves. Global
spectrum, arranged in order of decreasing wavelength. positioning system (GPS) and radio frequency identification
Some familiar objects have been included to give you an (RFID) are other applications of radio waves that have
idea of how long a particular wave is. revolutionized today's technology. Nearly all new cell phone
models have GPS as one of their built-in features. GPS
locates positions within 10-m to 100-m accuracy. RFID B
similar to the universal product code (UPC) or bar code that
is seen on some grocery items. It ca store and transmit data.
One common example of RFID is the easy tag, commonly
known as EC tag, which is used to pay the toll in
expressways. In the Philippines, some schools already use
RFID to lend books and also to control entry at gates that

have RFID scanners. The e-Passport which the country has
adopted is also a form of RFID.
Medical applications of radio waves include magnetic
resonance imaging (MRI) for viewing internal parts of the
human body without invasive exploratory surgery. Radio
waves are also ideal for reducing the cellulite on the body,
wrinkles, and fine lines on the face, and for tightening
sagging or loose skin.
Radio waves were discovered by Heinrich Hertz in 1887.
They are produced by an alternating current (AC) circuit
attached to an antenna. Radio waves are produced by
electronic devices like LC oscillators, which are electrical
circuits composed of inductors (L) and capacitors (C), and
used to generate and pick up signals at a certain frequency.
The sun and the planet Jupiter are extraterrestrial sources of
radio waves.
 MICROWAVES
The microwave region in the EM spectrum lies somewhere
from 300 MHz to 300 GHz, with wavelength corresponding
to 10 m to 10 m. James Clerk Maxwell is credited for
discovering microwaves in 1864. Microwaves are
considered as high-frequency radio waves and are mainly
used for communication, especially from 2 GHz to 40 GHz.
They were mostly used for long-distance telephone calls
before the introduction of optical fibers. They are also used
to send signals for cable television as well as video or audio
feeds from production vans to broadcast Microwave Doppler
radars are used in weather forecasting.
A microwave oven is a common kitchen appliance. It uses
2.45 GHz by transferring energy to the water molecules in
the food. In addition to heating leftover food, a microwave is
used in industrial processes for drying and curing products.
Microwaves are highly used in the medical field. Microwave
ablation uses the heat of the microwaves to shrink or destroy
tumors. Microwave imaging is used to monitor the progress
of treatment in breast cancer, which can be distinguished as
benign or malignant through microwave tomography.
 INFRARED WAVES
Infrared literally means "below red." Infrared radiations
(IR) have a lower frequency than the red part of the visible
light. Their frequencies range from 3 x 10 11Hz to 4 x 1014Hz.
with wavelengths ranging from 7.5x10-7 m to 10-3 m. Sir
William Herschel, a British astronomer, discovered these
rays in 1800. We do not see infrared radiation but we feel It
as heat. People, places, objects, and animals give off infrared
radiation proportional to their temperature. Higher
temperatures produce shorter infrared rays.
Infrared rays are used in remote controls for television sets,
burglar have a alarm systems, night vision cameras, and
certain types of thermometers. Most computers, laptops,
palmtops, and printers are equipped with infrared data
association ports that enable us to transfer and print data
without connecting them with cable. Food can also be
cooked using infrared radiation.
Physiotherapists use heat lamps to heal sports injuries.
Medical infrared imaging is used diagnosis and prognosis in
areas like oncology, rheumatology, sports medicine, and
orthopedics. It is for also used to monitor progress in therapy
and rehabilitation.
 VISIBLE LIGHT
Electromagnetic radiations in the range of 4x 10 14 Hz to 8 x
1014 Hz with corresponding wavelengths of 4x 10-7 m to 8 x
3
10-7 m are the only ones seen by our naked eye. This
electromagnetic spectrum is aptly called visible light or,
simply, light. The sequence of colors of visible part light
from longest to shortest may be remembered by the acronym
ROYGBIV: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and
violet. In modern usage, indigo is not usually distinguished
as a separate color.
Table 2 shows the approximate wavelengths in
nanometers (nm) of the different colors of light.
Table 2
WAVELENGTHS OF THE COLORS OF LIGHT
Color Wavelength
Red 760 nm
Orange 610 nm
Yellow 590 nm
Green 550 nm
Blue 470 nm
Violet 410 nm
Visible light has many applications in our day-to day life. It
helps us see objects. It is also used in traffic lights,
commercial displays, car headlights, and tail lights. Every
device that has a viewable screen makes use of visible light.
Television, liquid crystal displays, and touchpad devices are
examples. Visible light is also used by plants in
photosynthesis.
Visible light communication (VLC) using light emitting
diodes is an emerging form of wireless communication
technology. It can be used for simultaneous audio and video
streaming. The optical fibers that replaced telephone wires
use visible light to transmit signals at high speed and/or long
distances.
One source of visible light is laser. Laser is an acronym for
light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation.
Tagged as a solution looking for a problem, laser light is
used in many medical procedures: optical imaging, surgery,
endoscopy, and treatment. Laser light is also used in
biomedical research and microscopy.
 ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION
The region next to visible light is ultraviolet radiation, with
frequencies ranging from 8 x 10 14 Hz to 1017 Hz. Ultraviolet
radiation is more popularly known as UV, which was
discovered by the German physicist Johann Wilhelm Ritter.
UV rays have wavelengths ranging from 6x10-10 m to 4 x 10-
7
m. There are three kinds of UV: UVA, UVB, and UVC.
UVA has a wavelength range of 315 nm to 400 nm; UVB,
from 280 nm to 314 nm, and UVC, from 60 nm to 279 nm.
UVC is almost completely absorbed by the atmosphere and
does not reach the Earth's surface. UVB is filtered by the
ozone in the atmosphere. UVA accounts for 95% of the solar
UV reaching the Earth.
A major source of ultraviolet rays is the sun. Special lamps
also emit UV rays. UV lights, more popularly known as
black light, are used to detect forged bank notes. Black light
makes visible the security marker ink that we use for our
signatures in our bankbook. It is used during forensic
investigations at crime scenes, in procedures like searching
for traces of blood and other body fluids, fingerprints, and
footprints. Black light is also used to sterilize medical
equipment and purify water. It is also used in pest-control
devices and fly traps, as well as in theaters to produce the
"glow in the dark" effect.
UVA is used to treat skin conditions like psoriasis and
vitiligo that cause depigmentation of part of the skin. UV
stimulates the production of vitamin D in our body.

 X-RAYS
X-rays are sometimes called Roentgen rays, after their
discoverer, the German physicist Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen.
The letter X is normally used to represent an unknown
quantity. Roentgen called that he discovered X-rays because
he did not know their nature or origin. He was awarded the
1901 Nobel Prize for physics for his accidental discovery of
X-rays.
Classified as either soft or hard, X-rays have wavelengths
ranging from 10-12 m to 10-8 m. Soft X-rays can penetrate
soft substances like flesh and bones. Hard X-rays are more
penetrating than the soft ones and are used mainly in
industries.
X-rays are produced by the sun and other stars. They are
also produced when accelerated electrons hit a metal and
some medical equipment.
X-rays are used to detect abnormalities in the skeletal system
like fractures and tumors. They are also used in dental
imaging. Aside from taking photographs of the internal body
parts, as in computer axial tomography (CAT), X-rays are
used in airport security checks to see the inside of passenger
luggage. They are also used to study the arrangement of
atoms in a crystal by a process called diffraction.
 GAMMA RAYS
Gamma rays are given off by radioactive materials like
cobalt-60 and cesium-137. Astronomical objects, including
the sun, clouds of interstellar matter, and remnants of
supernovae, are sources of gamma rays. Gamma rays are
highly penetrating because of their very short wavelengths,
ranging from less than 10-14 m to 10-10 m. Paul Villard, a
French chemist and physicist, is recognized as having
discovered gamma rays in 1900.
Gamma rays are used in industries to detect cracks in metals
and to sterilize equipment and commercial products. Non
contact industrial sensors using gamma sources are used in
the refining, mining, chemical, food, soaps and detergents,
as well as pulp and paper industries to control volume levels,
density, and thickness. Food irradiation with gamma rays
kills bacteria, insects, and parasites that can cause foodborne
diseases. In agriculture, gamma radiation helps breed new
seed varieties with higher yields. Examples of these are the
"miracle" rice that has greatly expanded rice production in
Asia and some varieties of cashew, mangosteen, and
pineapple.Gamma radiation is also used to eradicate pests
like fruit flies. Gamma rays are used to destroy cancer cells
in a process called Radiotherapy. The procedure may be
external or internal. In external radiotherapy, the patient is
exposed to a beam of radiation. Gamma knife surgery and
stereotactic radiotherapy are examples. In internal
radiotherapy, radiation comes from implants or liquids
placed inside the body. This is sometimes called
brachytherapy. In a nuclear medicine scan, a small amount
of radioactive material, or tracer, is injected into or taken
orally by the patient. A special camera (a gamma camera) is
then moved along the part of the body to be scanned to take
images of it.
EFFECTS OF ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
People use electromagnetic waves a lot. You see because of
light waves. Information is sent from place to place by
means of radio waves. You forecast weather using
microwaves. Waves even invade the kitchen when food is
cooked in a microwave oven. X-rays and gamma rays are
now used in medical diagnosis and treatment. Ultraviolet
rays are used as a medical sterilizing agent.
The technologies used today emit electromagnetic radiation.
These radiations can penetrate and affect you, seriously
4
compromising your health and disturbing the environment.
This is the adverse effect of technology, the price of
modernization and convenience. Just like their uses, the
hazards brought about by EM waves depend on their
frequency. The energy of an electromagnetic radiation is
dependent on its frequency. The higher the frequency, the
greater the energy of the radiation. Specifically, the energy
(E) of a wave is related to its frequency(f) by the following
equation,
E = hf
where h is the Planck's constant and is equal to 6.63 x 10 -34
J.s.
Sample Problem
The wavelength of the red part of visible light is 760 nm.
What is its energy?
Given: = 760nm = 760 x 10-9 nm
Solution:
We need to solve first for the frequency corresponding to red
light. Use the basic wave equation, then the energy formula.
E = hf
f= =(6.63 x 10-34 J.s) ( 3.95 x
1014 Hz)
= 2.6 x 10-19 J
=
= 3.95 x 1014 Hz
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION AND LIFE
Based on its energy, electromagnetic radiation may be
ionizing or non-ionizing. An ionizing radiation has sufficient
energy to induce ionization. ionization is the process of
removing electrons from neutral atoms. Exposure to high-
level ionizing radiation may cause either an immediate effect
or a delayed effect. An immediate effect can be death or
radiation burns. Ionizing radiation can produce molecular
changes that can lead to damage in biological tissues,
including effects on DNA. Delayed effects can be cancer or
mutation, which may be on the person exposed to radiation
or to his/her offspring. This is evident from the higher
incidence of cancer and deformity experienced by the
survivors of atomic bombings and nuclear fallouts. Ionizing
radiations include X-rays as well as gamma radiation.
Non-ionizing radiation includes the other parts of the
electromagnetic spectrum. Although considered less
dangerous than the ionizing type, non-ionizing radiation still
poses some health issues.
Both radio waves and microwaves can interfere with a
pacemaker, a medical device that uses electrical impulses to
help regulate the beating of the heart. Microwaves are
known to cause cataracts so we should not form a habit of
pressing our face against a microwave oven to see if the food
is cooked already. Overexposure to infrared waves can lead
to burns and pain. Excessive exposure to visible light,
especially in the blue region, can cause eye damage. Lasers
can cause blindness. Exposure to sudden bursts of intense
light, such as those from flashbulbs in a camera, can lead to
flash blindness that can last for seconds up to a few minutes.
Too much exposure to ultraviolet rays burns our skin and
produces the so-called sun tan. UV rays can also cause skin
cancer. Ultraviolet rays can damage the retina; so be sure
that your sunglasses are "UV-protected."
 5

radiation that comes from a nuclear material may result in

These are some of the negative effects of electromagnetic the weakening of plant seeds and mutations.
radiation on humans. The probability of experiencing these
effects depends on how much radiation we are exposed to
and for how long. WWW WORLD of Wonders in the WEB

ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION AND THE

ENVIRONMENT  http://www.emwatch.com/
 http://www.ehs.utoronto.ca/services/radiation/
The greenhouse effect resulting from the increased radtraining/module5.htm
concentration of greenhouse of human activity is called  http://www.antenna-theory.com/antennas/fractal.php
enhanced effect. It is also known as anthropogenic  http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/science/know_11/
greenhouse effect. The more gases as a result greenhouse emspectrum.html
gases there are in the atmosphere, the greater the amount of  http://www.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hsu/LCh25.pdf
trapped infrared waves and the greater the rise in
temperature. It is the enhanced greenhouse effect that leads
to global warming. With the thinning of the ozone layer,
high levels of UV rays can penetrate the Earth. It can also
disrupt the organisms that depend on them. Plankton sinks
deeper into the water when exposed too much UV. This
decreases the amount of visible light plankton receives,
thereby hindering photosynthesis and growth. Interference
from electronics and AM radio signals can disrupt the
internal magnetic compasses of migratory birds. Ionizing
SCIENCE 10 ACTIVITY SHEET
Name:______________________________________________ Section:________________

Direction: Search 20 words that is associated to electromagnetic waves. Draw a straight line across each word then write
those words in the space provided below the box. The words are written horizontally, vertically, and diagonally upward and
downward. Use this activity sheet.

A B E L E C T R O M A G N E T I C T R U I P S Q
S G S A B N M C T F H S H K L O P C G L J N M R
O T J G M N Q S R O B G V Z X R L K I B C I B A
B A W H J E T S D G N R Q Z X C S N N S A O C R
Z Y V A S R K C V I U Y M N B S X G F B A N T O
Q I W Q V X L M T R O N H M L K C V R B Y I T E
L R F G D E R A S B N K H L Y D F S A D C Z B N
B W A T J L L S R T U H B S P E C T R U M I K T
L R F D K L L E F G J F R T Y E Z X E C I N B G
U A G S I X R Z N R T V R B N M Z X D C C G Y E
E D H C T A S A V G J K L E R Y T U I O R P S N
T I S U R T T Z D Y T J L P Q I T S R W O B N R
O O Q W A R V I B I N H M M D U R Z X Q W Y U A
O V V Y O A U Q O X O L X L A S E R T S A S D Y
T B I U F S I Z G N E T Z A Q T T N U D V D F I
H N S T S W O X H H R O H S W D R Z C T E T S J
A D I F F R A C T I O N Y E G S G X I Y J G F K
S O B S F T P V S L T P R D R Y H R H Q K H G M
D U L T R A V I O L E T V F A A U E N R L Y W L
F R E B G J S T T K Y A B M H J P A M E N U A B
G S J J G K T Y U D U S M J K G K Y F U F I T N
H D K K J Q H Z N R I A H T B Q L Y J G O O G F
W A V E S C L Q M W G J D W N A R A D A R M J H
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1. 11.
2. 12.
3. 13.
4. 14.
5. 15.
6. 16.
7. 17.
8. 18.
9. 19.
10. 20.

SCIENCE 10 ACTIVITY SHEET

Name:______________________________________________ Section:________________
Solve the given problem. Show your solution. Use this activity sheet.
1. A certain electromagnetic wave has a wavelength of 625 nm.
a. What is the frequency of the wave?

b. What region of the electromagnetic spectrum is it found?

C. What is the energy of the wave?

2. A radar in an airport detects that an airplane is 30.0 km away from it. How long will it take a pulse of radio waves to reach
the plane and return to the radar?

3. The X-ray used by your dentist has a wavelength of 15 nm. What are its frequency and energy?
 7

4. It takes 3.8 x 10-5s for a pulse of radio waves from a radar to reach a plane and bounce back. How far is the plane fro the
radar?