Electromagnetic Spectrum

Electromagnetic Waves &
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.
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
kilometres 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)
Electromagnetic Spectrum—name for the
range of electromagnetic waves when
placed in order of increasing frequency
ULTRAVIOLET GAMMA
RADIO INFRARED
RAYS RAYS
WAVES RAYS
MICROWAVES VISIBLE LIGHT X-RAYS
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 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 the
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.
Heat lamps give off

Therefore people give
infrared waves.
off infrared rays.
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.
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 exposure
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 very 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.
SCIENTISTS THAT CONTRIBUTED IN
THE STUDY OF ELECTROMAGNETISM
. James Clark Maxwell - James Clark Maxwell

is one of the electromagnetic theory
scientists. He developed a theory that
explains electromagnetic waves. He found
out that combined electrical fields and
magnetic fields can form electromagnetic
waves. He discovered that a changing
magnetic field will induce a changing
electric field and vice-versa.
2. Heinrich Hertz - Heinrich Hertz proved
the Theory of Electromagnetism. One of
Heinrich Hertz’s inventions showed that
light and heat are electromagnetic
radiations. He proved that the speed and
length of electromagnetic waves can be
identified and measured. Moreover,
Heinrich Hertz’s experiment proved that
electromagnetic waves can transport
electricity, and these waves contain light
properties, especially that they travel at
the speed of light.
3. Guglielmo Marconi - Guglielmo Marconi
continued the discovery of more developed
magnetic waves after James Clark Maxwell
and Heinrich Hertz’s time. Guglielmo
Marconi transmitted recognizable
electronic signals more than a mile away.
4. Reginald Fessenden - Reginald Fessenden
achieved the first audio radio transmission
and the first two-way transatlantic
transmission.
5. Philo Farnsworth - Philo Farnsworth did
the first all-electronic television
broadcast, and he was the first person to
solve the coordination of electronically-
scanned television cameras and receivers
that produced clear moving.
6.André-Marie Ampère, (born January 22,
1775, Lyon, France—died June 10, 1836,
Marseille), French physicist who founded
and named the science of electrodynamics,
now known as electromagnetism. His name
endures in everyday life in the ampere, the
unit for measuring electric current.
7. Michael Faraday, (born September 22,
1791, Newington, Surrey, England—died
August 25, 1867, Hampton Court, Surrey),
English physicist and chemist whose many
experiments contributed greatly to the
understanding of electromagnetism.
8. Heinrich Hertz, in full Heinrich Rudolf
Hertz, (born February 22,
1857, Hamburg [Germany]—died January 1,
1894, Bonn, Germany), German physicist
who showed that Scottish physicist James
Clerk Maxwell’s theory
of electromagnetism was correct and
that light and heat are electromagnetic
radiations.
9. Hans Christian Oersted began a new
scientific epoch when he discovered that
electricity and magnetism are linked. He
showed by experiment that an electric
current flowing through a wire could move
a nearby magnet. The discovery of
electromagnetism set the stage for the
eventual development of our modern
technology-based world. Oersted also
discovered the chemical compound piperine
and achieved the first isolation of the
element aluminum.

Electromagnetic Spectrum

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Electromagnetic Spectrum

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Electromagnetic Waves &

the Electromagnetic Spectrum

RESULT-An electromagnetic wave.

Heat lamps give off

. James Clark Maxwell - James Clark Maxwell

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