Performance Task in Science

ELECTROMAGNETIC
WAVES
Group 1
 Electromagnetic waves

ALL ABOUT Benifits of Em Waves

Harmful effects of
Em Waves
 WHAT IS EM
WAVES?
Electromagnetic waves or EM waves are waves that
are created as a result of vibrations between an
electric field and a magnetic field. In other
words, EM waves are composed of oscillating
magnetic and electric fields.An electromagnetic
wave can travel through anything - be it air, a
solid material or vacuum.
 Radio Waves

Microwave

Infrared
ELECTROMAGNETIC
Visible Light
SPECTRUM
Ultraviolet Radiation

X-rays

Gamma Rays
 RADIO WAVES
Radio waves have the
longest wavelengths but with the lowest
frequencies. They are commonly used to transmit
information such as in television.
 MICROWAVE
Microwaves are produced by special
vacuum tubes called cavity magnetrons.
Because microwaves have short wavelengths,
the microwave signals can travel in straight
lines without losing much of their energy.
 INFRARED
It is an electromagnetic radiation that
occupies the region between microwaves and
visible light. The word ‘’infra’’ means
‘’beyond’’, which implies that infrared consists
of waves just beyond the red end of the spectrum.
 VISIBLE LIGHT
the most familiar EM radiation that can be
detected by the human eye and it is responsible
for the functioning of our sense of sight.
Specialized cells in the eye called rods and
cones are very sensitive to EM waves in this
narrow band of frequencies.
 ULTRAVIOLET
RADIATION
UV is also part of heat radiation
emitted by hot objects such as the sun-
Earth’s main source of UV radiation. The
radiation from the sun stimulates our body
to produce vitamin D which is needed for
healthier bones.
 X-RAYS
X-rays that were discovered by Wilhelm
Conrad Roentgen (1845-1923) in 1901, are waves
shorter than ultraviolet waves. They are
produced when high-energy electrons lose
energy after striking a metal target. They are
commonly used in the field of medicine.
 GAMMA RAYS
Gamma rays, discovered by Paul
Ulrich Villard (1860-1934), have the shortest
wavelength in the EM spectrum. However, the
highest energy among all the EM waves. These are
the waves produced when undergoing radioactive
decay.
ELECTROMAGNETIC Benefits of Em waves
WAVES
 Benefits

Radio waves are

transmitted easily
through air. They do not
cause damage if absorbed
by the human body, and RADIO
WAVES
they can be reflected
and refracted to change
their direction. These
properties make them
ideal for
communications.
 Benefits
High frequency microwaves have
frequencies which are easily
absorbed by molecules in food.
The energy of the molecules

MICROWAVES
increases when they absorb
microwaves, which causes
heating. Unlike radio waves,
microwaves are not refracted in
the Earth's atmosphere which
means they can pass easily
between stations on Earth and
satellites in orbit.
 Benefits
Infrared radiation has frequencies
which are absorbed by some chemical
bonds. The internal energy of the
bonds increases when they absorb
infrared radiation, which causes

INFRARED
heating. This makes infrared
radiation useful for electrical
heaters and for cooking food. All
objects emit infrared radiation. The
human eye cannot see this radiation,
but infrared cameras can detect it.
This 'thermal imaging' is useful for
detecting people in the dark, finding
hot spots when firefighting and
checking the insulation properties of
homes
 Benefits

Visible light is the light we

can see. It is used in fiber
optic communications, where
VISIBLE
coded pulses of light travel
through glass fibers from a
LIGHT
source to a receiver.
 Benefits

Ultraviolet radiation can kill

bacteria that are present in

ULTRAVIOLET
water - this sterilises the water
and makes it safe to drink.
Ultraviolet radiation is also
good for the skin as it helps to
make vitamin D. However, too much RADIATION
exposure to ultraviolet radiation
can cause skin problems,
including skin cancer.
 Benefits

·X-rays can kill cancer cells. Directing

an X-ray beam onto skin cancer cells, or
cancer cells inside the body, can help to
cure cancer. X-rays can also be used to

X-RAYS
produce images of the internal structure
of the body, helping doctors to determine
whether bones are broken or fractured.
This is because X-rays are absorbed by
dense material such as bone, but pass
through soft tissue. Once they have passed
through the body, X-rays will darken a
photographic film, allowing any fractured
or broken bones to be identified.
 Benefits
Gamma rays are emitted from the
nuclei of atoms. They have high
energy and can kill cancer cells,
as well as bacteria on food. They
can also be used as a medical
tracer. When gamma rays are used
as medical tracers, a chemical
GAMMA RAYS
containing the rays is injected
into the body of a patient. An
image is then formed when the
gamma rays travel out of the body
and are detected by a gamma
camera.
ELECTROMAGNETIC Harmful effects of
Em waves
WAVES
 Harm

Exposure to very high RF

intensities can result in

RA DI O heating of biological tissue and

an increase in body temperature.

W AV ES Tissue damage in humans could

occur during exposure to high RF
levels because of the body's
inability to cope with or
dissipate the excessive heat
that could be generated.
 Harm

Microwave radiation can heat body tissue the

same way it heats food. Exposure to high

MICROWAVE levels of microwaves can cause a painful

burn. Two areas of the body, the eyes and the
testes, are particularly vulnerable to RF
heating because there is relatively little
blood flow in them to carry away excess heat.
 Harm

Prolonged exposure to IR radiation causes

a gradual but irreversible opacity of the

INFRARED lens. Other forms of damage to the eye

from IR exposure include scotoma, which is
a loss of vision due to the damage to the
retina. Even low-level IR absorption can
cause symptoms such as redness of the eye,
swelling, or hemorrhaging.
 Harm

The visible light radiation can exert

various biologic effects such as

VISI BL E erythema, pigmentation, thermal damage

and free radical production.

LI GH T Addtionally, visible light exposure

can cause or exacerbate
photodermatoses such as solar
urticaria, chronic actinic dermatosis
(CAD) and cutaneous porphyrias.
 Harm

Risks. Sunburn is a sign of short-term

overexposure, while premature aging and

ULTRAVI OL ET skin cancer are side effects of prolonged

UV exposure. UV exposure increases the risk

RADIA TI ON of potentially blinding eye diseases, if

eye protection is not used. Overexposure to
UV radiation can lead to serious health
issues, including cancer.
 Harm

Being exposed to X-rays does carry a

risk of causing cancer many years or
decades later, but this risk is

X-RAYS thought to be very small. For

example, an X-ray of your chest,
limbs or teeth is equivalent to a
few days' worth of background
radiation, and has less than a 1 in
1,000,000 chance of causing cancer.
 Harm

Gamma rays have so much penetrating power

that several inches of a dense material

GAMMA RAYS like lead, or even a few feet of concrete

may be required to stop them. Gamma rays
can pass completely through the human
body; as they pass through, they can
cause ionizations that damage tissue and
DNA.
 Em waves: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/definition/electromagnetic-waves?
fbclid=IwAR3Dh-UrEu_31zjThsYYc6DfBnAnlwvAGzL-H2hIYoq2jyd9_ku4je7A-YI

Benefits:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/z8tx3k7/revision/4?
fbclid=IwAR2rBc8j5b_tcsb7vQ5qFhHKIyRpebQWRyWc7FI0MKNrqZMfRO8BUNJ8WGI

Harmful effects:
https://www.fcc.gov/engineering-technology/electromagnetic-compatibility-division/radio-
frequency-safety/faq/rf-
safety#:~:text=Exposure%20to%20very%20high%20RF,heat%20that%20could%20be%20generated

https://www.fda.gov/radiation-emitting-products/resources-you-radiation-emitting-

LINKS/
products/microwave-oven-
radiation#:~:text=Microwave%20radiation%20can%20heat%20body,to%20carry%20away%20excess%2
0heat.

URL
https://ehs.lbl.gov/resource/documents/radiation-protection/non-ionizing-
radiation/light-and-infrared-
radiation/#:~:text=Prolonged%20exposure%20to%20IR%20radiation,eye%2C%20swelling%2C%20or%
20hemorrhaging

https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02904798

https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/features/uv-radiation-safety/index.html?
fbclid=IwAR3tQY8lTvX7raY9uSXPozc8ymbnBqxszlw_iPraMx8mu1X_tBMQyxs0ZKM#:~:text=times%20a%2
0week.-,Risks,serious%20health%20issues%2C%20including%20cancer.l

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/x-
ray/#:~:text=Being%20exposed%20to%20X%2Drays,1%2C000%2C000%20chance%20of%20causing%20can
cer

https://www.epa.gov/radiation/radiation-
basics#:~:text=Gamma%20rays%20have%20so%20much,that%20damage%20tissue%20and%20DNA
Villanueva, Rayer
Chris D.

Atienza, Beatrice A.
Group 1
Tagacay, Kieth
Cassandra