Microwaves

Group members:
➔ Daniel Imran
➔ Samuel Ling
➔ Alvin Lim
➔ Kye Xen
➔ Yew Hong
What are microwaves?
● Microwaves are defined as electromagnetic radiations with a frequency ranging
between 300 MHz to 300 GHz(300000 MHz).
● The wavelength ranges from 1 mm to around 30 cm
● Microwave radiation is commonly referred to as microwaves.
● It falls between infrared radiation and radio waves in the electromagnetic spectrum
Properties of Microwaves

● Metal surfaces reflect microwaves

● Microwaves of certain frequencies are absorbed by water.
● Microwave transmission is affected by wave effects such as refraction,
reflection, interference, and diffraction.
● Microwaves can pass through glass and plastic.
Uses of Microwaves

Microwaves are used in:

● communications
● radio astronomy
● remote sensing
● radar
● cooking
Microwaves and Cellphones

Cell phone signals are carried through the air as

microwaves. The caller’s sound is encoded in microwaves
by changing the frequency of the waves. This is called
frequency modulation. The encoded microwaves are sent
to the cell tower through the air. From the cell tower, the
waves travel to a switching centre. From there, they go to
another cell tower and from the tower to the receiver of
the person being called. The receiver changes the encoded
microwaves back to sound. Microwaves can be
interrupted by buildings and other obstructions, so cell
towers must be placed high above the ground to prevent
the interruption of cell phone signals.
Why are microwaves used in radar?

● Microwaves are electromagnetic waves having some

frequency of 300Mhz to 300GHz. The wavelength of the
microwaves is smaller, so they can be transmitted as a beam
signal in the desired directions. And also, microwaves do not
change their path when it collides with any object. The
microwaves may reflect from the object but it cannot change
their path. Hence, it is used in radar.

● Other than that, Microwaves are used in radars

because they can pass through any object. The frequency of
the microwaves lies between infrared waves and radio waves
and covers a high range of frequencies. So, the microwaves
are used in the radar. The wide range of frequencies of
microwaves helps to detect the fast-moving objects like
aircraft, rockets, ships etc.
Microwaves and Radar

● RADAR stands for Radio Detection

and Ranging.
● Police use radar guns to detect over-
speeding vehicles. A radar gun sends a
short burst of microwaves.
Microwaves reflect from the oncoming
vehicle and are detected by the
receiver in the radar gun. The speed of
the vehicle is computed from the speed
of the vehicle.
More uses of Radar

Radar is used for:

● tracking storms
● detecting air traffic
● measure properties of the
atmosphere and oceans, and other
purposes
References

● (n.d.). Microwave - Electromagnetic Spectrum: What is Electromagnetic

Spectrum? byjus.com.
https://byjus.com/physics/electromagnetic-spectrum-microwave/#:~:text=
Microwaves%20are%20defined%20as%20electromagnetic,waves%20in%2
0the%20electromagnetic%20spectrum

● (n.d.). Why are microwaves used in radar? Vedantu.com.

https://www.vedantu.com/question-answer/are-microwaves-used-in-radar-
class-12-physics-cbse-5f4d603884fe9e109c8498d8