Electromagnetic Waves and the Electromagnetic Spectrum

ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVES
- TRANSVERSE WAVES without a medium!
- (They can travel through empty space)
- They travel as vibrations in electrical and magnetic fields.
- Have some magnetic and some electrical properties to them.

- A magnetic field is a field explaining the magnetic influence on an object in space.

- A electric field is a field defined by the magnitude of the electric force at any given point in
space.
- When an electric field changes, so does the magnetic field. The changing magnetic field causes
the electric field to change. When one field vibrates-so does the other.
- RESULT-An electromagnetic wave.
- Electromagnetic waves travel VERY FAST. Around 300,000,000meters per second (the speed of
light). At this speed they can go around the world 8 times in one second.
Waves or Particles?
- Electromagnetic radiation has properties of waves but also can be thought of as a stream of
particles.
- Example: Light
• Light as a wave: Light behaves as a transverse wave which we can filter using polarized
lenses.
• Light as particles (photons): When directed at a substance light can knock electrons off of a
substance (Photoelectric effect)
- The photoelectric effect is a phenomenon in which electrons are ejected from the surface of a
metal when light is incident on it. These ejected electrons are called photoelectrons.
Electromagnetic Spectrum
- Name for the range of electromagnetic waves when placed order of increasing frequency.
• Notice the wavelength is long (Radio waves) and gets
shorter (Gamma Rays)
Radio Waves
- Have the longest wavelengths and lowest frequencies of all the electromagnetic waves.
- Global Positioning Systems (GPS) measure the time it takes a radio wave to travel from several
satellites to the receiver, determining the distance to each satellite.
- A radio picks up radio waves through an antenna and converts it to sound waves.
• Each radio station in an area broadcasts at a different frequency. # On radio dial tells
frequency.
- MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) Uses a short wave radio waves with a magnet to create an
image.
Microwaves
- Have the shortest wavelengths and the highest frequency of the radio waves.
- Used in microwave ovens.
• Waves transfer energy to water in the food causing them to vibrate which in turn transfers
energy in the form of heat to the food.
- RADAR (Radio Detection and Ranging)
• Used to find the speed of an object by sending out radio waves and measuring the time it
takes them to return.
Infrared Rays
- Infrared= below red Shorter wavelength and higher frequency than microwaves.
- You can feel the longest ones as warmth on your skin.
- Warm objects give off more heat energy than cool objects.
- Thermogram- a picture that shows regions of different temperatures in the body. Temperatures
are calculated by the amount of infrared radiation given off.
• Therefore people give off infrared rays. Heat lamps give off infrared waves.
Visible Light
- Shorter wavelength and higher frequency than infrared rays.
- Electromagnetic waves we can see.
- Longest wavelength= red light
- Shortest wavelength= violet (purple) light
- When light enters a new medium it bends (refracts). Each wavelength bends a different amount
allowing white light to separate into its various colors ROYGBIV.
Ultraviolet Rays
- Shorter wavelength and higher frequency than visible light.
- Carry more energy than visible light
- Used to kill bacteria. (Sterilization of equipment)
- Too much can cause skin cancer. Use sun block to protect against (UV rays)
- Causes your skin to produce vitamin D (good for teeth and bones)
X-Rays
- Shorter wavelength and higher frequency than UV-rays
- Carry a great amount of energy
- Can penetrate most matter.
- Bones and teeth absorb x-rays. (The light part of an x-ray image indicates a place where the x-
ray was absorbed)
- Too much can cause cancer (lead vest at dentist protects organs from unnecessary exposure)
- 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
- Shorter wavelength and higher frequency than X-rays
- Carry the greatest amount of energy and penetrate the most.
- Used in radiation treatment to kill cancer cells.
- Can be harmful if not used correctly.
- Exploding nuclear weapons emit gamma rays.
Brief Summary
A. All electromagnetic waves travel at the same speed. (300,000,000 meters/second) in a vacuum.
B. They all have different wavelengths and different frequencies.
- Long wavelength – lowest frequency
- Short wavelength – highest frequency
- The higher the frequency the higher the energy.
2ND POWERPOINT
Waves
- Is a disturbance which travels through a medium or vacuum in which energy is transferred.
Waves are created when objects vibrate or oscillate.
Kinds of Waves
1. Mechanical Waves
- These are waves that travel through a medium like air, water and solids. Ex. Sound waves, water
waves, waves that travel along a spring or rope.
Types of Mechanical Waves
• Transverse waves – are waves in which the particles move up and down perpendicular to
the direction of motion. Ex. Oscillating string, light waves, water waves.
• Compressional or Longitudinal Waves – are waves in which particles move back and forth
parallel to the direction of the wave motion. Ex. A longitudinal wave in a spring, sound
waves.
2. Electromagnetic Waves
- These are waves that travel through a perfect vacuum. They need no medium to travel in. Ex.
Light, x-rays, microwaves, ultraviolet waves, radio waves, gamma rays, infrared.
Waves
- Most waves are either longitudinal or transverse.
- Sound waves are longitudinal.
- But all electromagnetic waves are transverse.

Electromagnetic Waves
- Produced by the movement of electrically charged particles
- Can travel in a “vacuum” (they do NOT need a medium)
- Travel at the speed of light = 3x108m/s
- Also known as EM waves
Radio Waves
- Longest wavelength EM waves
- Lowest energy EM radiation
• TV broadcasting
• AM and FM broadcast radio
• Heart rate monitors
• Cellphone communication
• GPS
• MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) – Uses short wave radio waves with a magnet to create
an image.
Microwaves
- Wavelengths from 1 mm – 1m
• Microwave ovens
• Bluetooth headsets
• Broadband wireless internet
• Radar
Infrared Radiation
- Wavelengths in between microwaves and visible light
• Night vision goggles
• Remote controls
• Heat-seeking missiles
Visible Light
- Only type of EM wave able to be detected by the human eye
- Violet is the highest frequency of light
- Red light is the lowest frequency light
Ultraviolet
- Shorter wavelengths than visible light
- Used to sterilize medical equipment
- Too much causes sun burn
- Extremely high exposure can cause skin cancer
• Black lights
• Security images on money
• Harmful to living things
X-rays
- Tiny wavelength, high energy waves
- Moderate dose can be damaging to cells
• Medical imaging
• Airport security
Gamma Rays
- Smallest wavelength, highest energy EM waves
- Kills nearly all living cells
• Cancer treatment to kill cancer cells
Formula
- Frequency(f) = no. of waves / no. of seconds
- Speed(v) = frequency(f) x wavelength(λ)
- v=fλ
- f = v/ λ
- λ = v/f
Units
- v = meter per second (m/s)
- f = cycle per second C/s or Hertz (Hz)
- λ = meter (m)
- λ – (lambda) Greek letter used to represent wavelength
3rd POWERPOINT
Light
- Is a form of Electromagnetic wave.
- Is a form of energy that has the properties of both particles and waves. (Dual nature)
Electromagnetic waves
- Waves do not require medium to travel
- A form of travelling electrical and magnetic transverse waves.
- Have common properties: exhibit reflection, refraction, diffraction and interference, travel at
the speed of light (3x108m/s) and obey the wave relation (v = ffi)
 - Light is only a small part of a much more extensive range of waves known as the
electromagnetic spectrum.
- Each type of EM waves occupies a particular range of wavelengths known as band.
Nature of Light
- Sir Isaac Newton
• Proposed in his article the Corpuscular Theory of Light (Light is made of stream particles). As
opposed to Christian Huygens’ Wave Theory of Light.
- Thomas Young
• In 1801, he discovered the diffraction and interference of light which can be explained only
in terms of the wave theory.
- James Clerk Maxwell
• Maxwell predicted in 1860 that changing electric and magnetic fields could propagate
through space as electromagnetic wave and that light itself is an electromagnetic wave.
- Heinrich Hertz
• He discovered experimentally in 1880’s the existence of electromagnetic waves through
radio waves.
- Max Planck
• In 1900, he introduced his postulates to explain blackbody radiation. He proposed that
energy comes in discrete units called Quanta (the Quantum means the smallest part
possible unit).
- Albert Einstein
• In 1905, Einstein theorized that light is composed of bundles of wave energy later called
photons, in agreement with Planck’s findings.
- Arthur Compton
• His experiments in 1923 showed that photons of x-rays decreased in energy when colliding
with electrons. This suggested that radiation behaves like a particle.
- Louis-Victor de Broglie
• A year later, he extended the possibility further by proposing that matter can have wave
properties and thus reinforced that the fact that light, and even matter, has a dual nature.
Producing Visible Light
- No one can see anything in the absence of light. Most of the object you see are visible because
they reflect light.
- An object that can be seen because it reflects light waves is an Illuminated Object.
• Moon is an illuminated object seen because sunlight is reflected off its surface.
- Object that gives off its own light because of the energy of its oscillating particles is called
Luminous Object.
• Sun and stars send out their own light.
Sources of Light
- Are hot bodies that radiate light.
1. Natural Source
2. Artificial Source
• Thermal
• Gas discharge
• Luminescent
Rectilinear Propagation of Light
- Light travels in a straight line.
- The area where light rays cannot reach is called shadow.
- Shadow formation is a proof that light travels in a straight lines.
Shadow is consist of 2 regions
- The darker region is known as full shadow, or umbra.
- The lighter region known as a partial shadow or penumbra.
Eclipse
- Is a natural phenomenon that exhibits rectilinear propagation of light.
1. Solar Eclipse – A solar eclipse occurs when the moon cast its shadow on the earth.
2. Lunar Eclipse – A lunar eclipse occurs when the earth casts its shadow on the moon.
Brightness of Light
- The measurement of the brightness of a light source is known as Photometry.
Three Measurable Quantities of Light
1. Luminous Intensity – refers to the brightness of a light source and is measured in terms of
candela (cd).
2. Luminous Flux – is the rate at which light is emitted from a source and strikes the surface of a
whole sphere. It expressed in terms of lumens (lm).
3. Illuminance (E) – is the amount of illumination.
- Is the amount of luminous flux falling on a unit area of a surface, measured in terms of lumens
per square meter, or lux (lx).
Properties of Light
- Light has an effect on materials, light maybe transmitted, reflected, absorbed, or scattered as it
strikes a material.
- Opaque materials absorbs light waves.
- Transparent materials transmit light waves.
- Translucent materials allow light to be transmitted through them but its ray are distorted during
the passage.
Reflection
- Diffused Reflection
• The dispersal or scattering of reflected rays.
• Do not produce any clear images.
• Occurs in rough, opaque surfaces.
- Regular or Specular Reflection
• More light is reflected more than what is absorbed.
• Results to sharply defined images.
• Occurs in smooth, opaque surfaces.
Refraction
- The bending of light as it travels from a transparent medium of one density to another medium
of a different optical density.
- Light travels fast in air, slow in water and slower still in glass.
- Index of Refraction – the measure of how much a ray light bend when it enters a material.
Dispersion
- Is the process by which light is separated into its colors due to differences in degrees of
refraction.
- Prism – A triangular glass block.
- The rainbow is formed by dispersion of sunlight in drops of water.
Total Internal Reflection
- Occurs when light travels from a denser to a less dense medium and strikes the surface at an
angle greater than the critical angle of a material.
- The critical angle for diamond is so small that the light is most likely to be totally internally
reflected.
Interference
- Interference of Light in Bubbles
• The different colors that appear to streak the surface of soap bubbles correspond to
different wavelengths of visible light interfering with each other at that point on the
bubble’s surface.
Diffraction
- Is the spreading out of light when passing through a small slit or around edges or corner.
Scattering of Light
- Accounts for the red color of the sky at sunset and sunrise and blue sky at daytime.
Polarization
- Light waves that are confined to parallel planes. Polarized light can be produced by transmission
through certain crystals aligned in a particular direction.
Spectra and Colors
- The retina of the human eye contains cells that are sensitive to color. These are called the rods
and cones.
- Rods – Enable you to see in black and white in dim light
- Cones – Provide you with color vision in bright light
Combining Colors
- White light is made up of a whole range of colors. Colors produced with light and pigments in
totally different ways. Adding the three primary colors of light will produce different secondary
colors. Secondary pigment colors, are produces by subtraction.
- Red, Green, Blue = White Light.
- Red, Blue, Yellow = Black.
4TH POWERPOINT
Optical Density
- Is the property of a transparent substance which measures the speed of light through the
substance.
- Interference – crest combine with crest, bright line is produced. Trough combined with trough,
dark line is produced.
MIRROR
- Is a highly polished surface which can produce images by regular reflection of light.
Kinds of Mirror
1. Plane Mirror – Produces images which are always of the same size as the objects they
reflect.
• Reversal Effect – the right side of the object appears as the left side of the image and the
left side appears as the right.
2. Curved / Spherical Mirror – mirror that has a surface which is a section of sphere.
• Convex Mirror or Diverging Mirror – uses the outer surface of the sphere as the reflecting
surface. Uses – outside rearview mirror on cars, mirror on stores to see every part of the
area.
• Concave Mirror or Conveying Mirror – uses the inner surface of the sphere as the reflecting
surface. Uses – searchlights in naval and aviation work, flashlights, headlights of cars,
shaving mirrors, dentist’s mirrors, mirrors used in telescope
- Image – reflection of an object on mirrors.