ELECTROMAGNETIC

WAVES
ELECTROMAGNETIC
WAVES
Electricity can be static, like the energy
that can make your hair stand on end.

Magnetism can also be static, as it is in

a refrigerator magnet.
A changing magnetic field will induce a
changing electric field and vice-versa—
the two are linked.

These changing fields form

electromagnetic waves.
Electromagnetic waves differ from
mechanical waves in that they do not require
a medium to propagate.

This means that electromagnetic waves can

travel not only through air and solid
materials, but also through the vacuum of
space.
In the 1860's and 1870's, a
Scottish scientist named James
Clerk Maxwell developed a
scientific theory to explain
electromagnetic waves.
He noticed that electrical fields
and magnetic fields can couple
together to form electromagnetic
waves.

He summarized this relationship

between electricity and magnetism
into what are now referred to as
"Maxwell's Equations."
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND
 Heinrich Hertz, a German physicist,
applied Maxwell's theories to the
production and reception of radio
waves. The unit of frequency of a
radio wave -- one cycle per second
-- is named the hertz, in honor of
Heinrich Hertz.
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA
His experiment with radio waves solved
two problems.
First, he had demonstrated in the concrete,
what Maxwell had only theorized — that
the velocity of radio waves was equal to
the velocity of light! This proved that
radio waves were a form of light!
Second, Hertz found out how to make the
electric and magnetic fields detach
themselves from wires and go free as
Maxwell's waves — electromagnetic
waves.

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND

WAVES OR PARTICLES?
Light is made of discrete packets of energy called
photons. Photons carry momentum, have no mass,
and travel at the speed of light. All light has both
particle-like and wave-like properties.
How an instrument is designed to sense the
light influences which of these properties are
observed.

An instrument that diffracts light into a

spectrum for analysis is an example of
observing the wave-like property of light.
The particle-like nature of light is
observed by detectors used in digital
cameras—individual photons liberate
electrons that are used for the detection
and storage of the image data.
POLARIZATION
One of the physical properties of light
is that it can be polarized.

Polarization is a measurement of the

electromagnetic field's alignment.
 DESCRIBING
ELECTROMAGNETIC
ENERGY
The terms light, electromagnetic waves,
and radiation all refer to the same
physical phenomenon:
electromagnetic energy
This energy can be described by
frequency, wavelength, or energy.

All three are related mathematically such

that if you know one, you can calculate
the other two.
Radio and microwaves are usually described in terms of frequency (Hertz), infrared and visible light
in terms of wavelength (meters), and x-rays and gamma rays in terms of energy
(electronvolts).
This is a scientific convention that allows the convenient use of
units that have numbers that are neither too large nor too small.
FREQUENCY
The number of crests that pass a
given point within one second is
described as the frequency of the
wave.
One wave—or cycle—per second is
called a Hertz (Hz), after Heinrich
Hertz who established the existence of
radio waves.

A wave with two cycles that pass a

point in one second has a frequency of 2
Hz.
WAVELENGTH
Electromagnetic waves have crests and
troughs similar to those of ocean waves and
the distance between crests is the wavelength.
The shortest wavelengths are just fractions
of the size of an atom, while the longest
wavelengths scientists currently study can
be larger than the diameter of our planet.
ENERGY
An electromagnetic wave can also be
described in terms of its energy—in
units of measure called electron volts
(eV).
An electron volt is the amount of kinetic
energy needed to move an electron
through one volt potential.
Moving along the spectrum from long to
short wavelengths, energy increases as
the wavelength shortens.
 USES OF
ELECTROMAGNETIC
WAVES
Radio waves

Radio waves have the longest

wavelength in the electromagnetic
spectrum with the lowest frequency.

They have the least energy which is

associated with frequency.  Radio waves
are not sound waves.  A device called a
"radio" detects radio waves and converts
that signal into what a speaker turns into
sound.
Microwaves

Microwaves have a shorter wavelength

and greater frequency and energy than
radio waves.
A device called a "microwave" uses
energy in microwaves to vibrate food
molecules, heating them up.
Infrared waves

Infrared (IR) waves have the next shortest

wavelength after microwaves and greater
frequency and energy.

Infrared waves are commonly used in

devices like remote controls to transmit a
signal in the IR range.  Night vision
cameras and goggles detect infrared given
off by warm blooded organisms so you
can detect them.
Visible Light Waves

Visible light has the next shortest

wavelength after Infrared and a greater
frequency and energy.

Why can’t you see all the waves in the

electromagnetic spectrum?

Your eyes are organs that detect only a

frequency in the visible light spectrum of
the electromagnetic waves.  Different
frequencies of visible light are detected as
different colors.  You will see more about
this in a future lesson.
Ultraviolet (UV) Waves
Ultraviolet (UV) waves have the next
shortest wavelength after visible light and
a higher frequency and energy.

With more energy these waves become a

bit more dangerous as they can penetrate
further into objects at the molecular level
including our skin.  UV waves are
considered a mutagen that can alter DNA
and increase the risk of cancer.
 X-ray Waves
X-rays have the next shortest wavelength
after visible light and higher frequency
and energy.

X-rays have additional penetrating power

and are more dangerous.  X-rays can not
get through lead which is why they cover
up any unnecessary area during a medical
X-ray.

An X-ray machine uses X-ray waves to

penetrate through an object.  X-rays pass
through less dense objects and get
absorbed by more dense objects.  In a
medical X-ray your dense bones can be
seen on film.
Gamma Ray Waves

Gamma rays have the shortest

wavelength and highest
frequency and highest energy of all
electromagnetic waves.

Gamma rays are mostly produced in

nuclear reactions.   These reactions
include fusion, fission, alpha decay, and
gamma decay.
Gamma Ray Waves

Gamma rays are the most

penetrating due to their excessive
frequency and energy.  Newly developing
cells are often destroyed by gamma rays. 
Cancer occurs when cells lose their ability
to stop dividing.

Radiation therapy is used as medical

treatment to kill newer cancer cells.  These
cancer cells are younger and more prone
to destruction than the more mature cells
of the human body.
 SPEED OF
ELECTROMAGNETIC
WAVES
The speed of all electromagnetic waves in the
vacuum of space is 300,000,000 m/s or 
3.0 x 108 m/s. 

This is the universal speed limit and often called

the speed of light.  This velocity is also the speed
of radio waves, microwaves, infrared, visible
light, ultraviolet, X-Ray, and Gamma Rays.
 Use 3.0 x 108 m/s for any EM wave in
your velocity equations, v=x/t and v=𝜆f,
that are in air or space.

c = 3.0 x 108 m/s
What is the wavelength of a 5.2 x 105 Hz AM radio wave?
(A radio wave is an electromagnetic (EM) wave that have a velocity
of 3.0 x 108 m/s in space or air: assume this unless otherwise noted)
Givens:
𝜆=?
f = 5.2 x 105 Hz
v = 3.0 x 108 m/s
Equation:
v =  𝜆 f  which rearranges to 𝜆 = v/f
Work:

𝜆= ()
𝜆 = 577 m