Electromagnetic Waves Class 12 Physics Notes Chapter 8

Introduction

In this chapter, we will study regarding displacement current, electromagnetic waves and its various parts
and their uses. Electromagnetic waves in the form of visible light enable us to view the world around us.
Infrared waves warm our environment. Radio waves carry our favourite TV and radio programs and the list
goes on and on.

History of EMW

Maxwell: was the rst to predict the presence of electromagnetic wave.

Hertz: produced and detected electromagnetic waves of wavelength 6 m experimentally.

J.C. Bose: produced electromagnetic wave of wavelength ranging from 5 mm to 25 mm.

Marconi: successfully transmitted the EM waves upto a few kilometer. Marconi discovered that if one of
the spark gap terminals is connected to an antenna and the other terminal is earthed, the EM waves
radiated could go upto several kilometers.

Maxwell’s Equations

Maxwell’s equations relate electric eld E and magnetic eld B and their sources which are electric charges and
current. In free space Maxwell’s equations are as follows.

Maxwell’s Equations

This equation is Ampere-Maxwell law.

Displacement current is a current which is produced due to the rate of change of electric flux with respect to
time. Displacement current is given by

Id=ε0dϕEdtId=ε0dϕEdt

This current Id passes through the surface A and is known as Maxwell displacement current.

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Electromagnetic Waves

Electromagnetic waves or EM waves are waves that are created as a result of vibrations between an electric
eld and a magnetic eld. In other words, EM waves are composed of oscillating magnetic and electric elds.

(i). Sources of electromagnetic waves

1. An electric charge at rest produces only electrostatic eld around it.

2. A charge moving with uniform velocity produces both electric and magnetic eld, here magnetic eld does
not change with time hence it does not produce time varying electric eld.

3. An accelerating charge produces both electric eld and magnetic eld which varies with space and time
which forms electromagnetic wave.

4. An accelerating charge emits electromagnetic wave of same frequency as frequency of accelerating

5. An electron orbiting around its nucleus in a stationary orbit does not emit electromagnetic wave. It will
emit only during transition from higher energy orbit to lower energy orbit.

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 6. Electromagnetic wave (X-ray) is produced when high speed electron enters into target of high atomic
weight.

7. Electromagnetic wave (γ-rays) is produced during de-excitation of nucleus in radioactivity.

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(ii). Nature of electromagnetic waves

1. It travels in free space with speed equal to 3 × 108 m/s which is given by c=1√μ0ε0c=1μ0ε0.

2. These waves do not require material medium for their propagation.

3. →EE→ and →BB→ become maximum at same place and at the same time, but perpendicular to each
other as well as to direction of propagation. Therefore the phase difference between the two elds is zero.
The amplitude of electric and magnetic elds are related to each other as c=EBc=EB. The direction of
propagation can be determined by →E×→BE→×B→.

4. The velocity of electromagnetic wave in a medium is decided by electric and magnetic properties of
medium not by the amplitude of electric and magnetic eld vector.

5. The energy carried by electromagnetic wave is equally divided between electric eld and magnetic eld.
Total average energy density u=12ε0E2=12B2μ0u=12ε0E2=12B2μ0.

6. Electromagnetic wave is not deflected by electric eld as well as magnetic eld because it consists of
uncharged particles called photon.

7. Electromagnetic waves carry energy as well as momentum.

Electromagnetic Spectrum

The orderly distribution of electromagnetic radiations according to their frequency (or wavelength) is called
electromagnetic spectrum. Maxwell predicted the existence of electromagnetic wave. Electromagnetic wave
experimentally discovered by Hertz.

At the end of nineteenth century, visible light, ultraviolet, infrared, X-rays and γ-rays had also been discovered.
We now know that electromagnetic waves include (i) γ-rays (ii) X-ray (iii) ultraviolet rays (iv) visible light (v)
infrared (vi) microwaves (vii) radio waves.

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There is no sharp division between one kind of wave and the next. The classi cation is based roughly on how
the waves are produced and/or detected.

(i). Radio waves

Radio waves are produced by the accelerated motion of charges in conducting wires. They are used in radio
and television communication systems. They are generally in the frequency range from 500 kHz to about 1000
MHz. Cellular phones use radio waves to transmit voice communication in the ultrahigh frequency (UHF) band.

(ii). Microwaves

Microwaves, with frequencies in the gigahertz (GHz) range, are produced by special vacuum tubes (called
klystrons, magnetrons and Gunn diodes). Due to their short wavelengths, they are suitable for the radar
systems used in aircraft navigation. Radar also provides the basis for the speed guns used to time fast balls,
tennis-serves, and automobiles. Microwave ovens are an interesting domestic application of these waves.

(iii). Infrared waves

Infrared waves are produced by hot bodies and molecules. This band lies adjacent to the low-frequency or
long-wave length end of the visible spectrum. Infrared waves are sometimes referred to as heat waves. This is
because water molecules present in most materials readily absorb infrared waves.

Infrared lamps are used in physical therapy. Infrared radiation also plays an important role in maintaining the
earth’s warmth or average temperature through the greenhouse effect. Infrared detectors are used in Earth
satellites, both for military purposes and to observe growth of crops.

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 omagnetic Waves Class 12 Physics Notes Chapter 8 :: R

# Greenhouse Effect

The greenhouse effect is a natural process that warms the Earth’s surface. When the Sun’s energy reaches the
Earth’s atmosphere, some of it is reflected back to space and the rest is absorbed and re-radiated by
greenhouse gases. Greenhouse gases include water vapour, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, ozone and
some arti cial chemicals such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs).

The absorbed energy warms the atmosphere and the surface of the Earth. This process maintains the Earth’s
temperature at around 33 degrees Celsius warmer than it would otherwise be, allowing life on Earth to exist.

(iv). Visible rays

It is the part of the spectrum that is detected by the human eye. It runs from about 4 × 1014 Hz to about 7 ×
1014 Hz or a wavelength range of about 700 – 400 nm. Visible light emitted or reflected from objects around
us provides us information about the world.

Our eyes are sensitive to this range of wavelengths. Different animals are sensitive to different range of
wavelengths. For example, snakes can detect infrared waves, and the ‘visible’ range of many insects extends
well into the utraviolet.

(v). Ultraviolet rays

Ultraviolet (UV) radiation is produced by special lamps and very hot bodies. The sun is an important source of
ultraviolet light. But fortunately, most of it is absorbed in the ozone layer in the atmosphere at an altitude of
about 40 – 50 km. UV light in large quantities has harmful effects on humans.

Welders wear special glass goggles or face masks with glass windows to protect their eyes from large amount of
UV produced by welding arcs. Due to its shorter wavelengths, UV radiations can be focussed into very narrow
beams for high precision applications such as LASIK (Laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis) eye surgery. UV
lamps are used to kill germs in water puri ers.

(vi). X-rays

Its frequency order is 1016 Hz to 1021 Hz. Its wavelength lies between 10 nm to 10-4 nm. It is produced in a
tube called modern X-ray tube. It is detected by photographic lm, Geiger tubes and ionisation chamber.

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X-ray are used as a diagnostic tool in medicine and as a treatment for certain forms of cancer. In engineering it
is used for detecting faults, cracks, flaws and holes. It is used for detecting pearls in oysters, defect in rubber
tyres, golds.

(vii). Gamma rays

They lie in the upper frequency range of the electromagnetic spectrum and have wavelengths of from about 10-
10 m to less than 10-14 m. This high frequency radiation is produced in nuclear reactions and also emitted by

radioactive nuclei. They are used in medicine to destroy cancer cells.

Different Types of Electromagnetic Waves

Summary

Maxwell developed Ampere’s circuital law, but later in the process of charging of a capacitor Maxwell
found this equation incomplete. To make Ampere’s law complete, Maxwell gave the concept of
displacement current and modi ed Ampere’s circuital law.

Putting Gauss’s law, Faraday’s law of EMW and modi ed Ampere’s law together Maxwell observed
symmetry between electric and magnetic eld. These laws together are called Maxwell’s four equation,
solutions of which predicted the presence of EM waves.

Displacement current exists where electric eld changes with time.

During charging of a capacitor, conduction current in the wire and displacement current in the gap are
exactly equal.

Sinusoidal EM waves are analogous to sinusoidal transverse mechanical waves on a stretched string.

The vector product E x B always points in the direction of propagation.

All EM waves travel with same speed c = 1 / √μ0ε0 in vacuum c = 299792458 m/s in vacuum.

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All EM waves are transverse in nature hence they can be polarized because polarization is the sure check
of transverse nature of a wave.

Average energy in electric eld and that in magnetic eld in an EM wave is same.

The momentum carried by EM wave is given by Energy / Speed of light.

Hertz’s experiment con rmed that accelerating charges produce EM waves.

Complete Electromagnetic spectrum (also called Maxwell’s rainbow) in decreasing order of frequency are
cosmic rays, γ-rays, X-rays, UV-radiation, visible radiation, infrared radiation, microwaves and radio
waves.

Amplitude modulated medium waves (MW) are also called ground waves are con ned to troposphere.
They are vertically polarized. Frequency ranges from (500 to 1600 kHz).

Amplitude modulated short wave (SW), also called sky waves are reflected by ionosphere. Frequency
ranges from 1500 kHz to 40 MHz

Frequency modulated wave of TV signals penetrate the entire atmosphere and not reflected by
ionosphere so they require direct transmission.

X-ray astronomy is possible only from satellites outside the earth’s atmosphere because the atmosphere
absorbs the X-rays.

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