Electromagnetic waves

Electromagnetic waves are transverse waves. Their vibrations or oscillations are changes in

electrical and magnetic fields at right angles to the direction of wave travel.

All electromagnetic waves:

 transfer energy from the source of the waves to an absorber

 can travel through a vacuum such as in space
 all travel at the same velocity through a vacuum
Electromagnetic waves travel at 300,000,000 metres per second (m/s) through a vacuum.

Electromagnetic spectrum
Electromagnetic waves form a continuous spectrum of waves. This includes:

 waves with a very short wavelength, high frequency and high energy

 waves with a very long wavelength, low frequency and low energy
Electromagnetic waves can be separated into seven distinct groups in the spectrum.

Each group contains a range of frequencies. For example, visible light contains all the
frequencies that can be detected by the human eye:

 red light has the lowest frequencies of visible light

 violet light has the highest frequencies of visible light

Properties, uses and hazards of electromagnetic waves

Electromagnetic waves are transverse waves with a wide range of properties and uses. Some of the waves are also hazardous to human body tissues.

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Behaviour and uses of electromagnetic
waves
The behaviour of an electromagnetic wave in a substance depends on its frequency or wavelength. The differing behaviours of different
groups in the electromagnetic spectrum make them suitable for a range of uses.

Radio waves
Radio waves are used for communication such as television and radio.

Radio waves are transmitted easily through air. They do not cause damage if absorbed by the human body, and they can be reflected to
change their direction. These properties make them ideal for communications.

Producing radio waves - Higher

Radio waves can be produced by oscillations in electrical circuits. When radio waves are absorbed by a conductor, they create an alternating
current. This electrical current has the same frequency as the radio waves. The conductor could be, for example, an aerial on a radio.

Information is coded into the wave before transmission, which can then be decoded when the wave is received. Television and radio systems
use this principle to broadcast information.

Microwaves
Microwaves are used for cooking food and for satellite communications.

High frequency microwaves have frequencies which are easily absorbed by molecules in food. The internal energy of the molecules
increases when they absorb microwaves, which causes heating. Microwaves pass easily through the atmosphere, so they can pass between
stations on Earth and satellites in orbit.

Infrared
Infrared light is used by electrical heaters, cookers for cooking food, and by infrared cameras which detect people in the dark.

Infrared light has frequencies which are absorbed by some chemical bonds. The internal energy of the bonds increases when they absorb
infrared light, which causes heating. This makes infrared light useful for electrical heaters and for cooking food. All objects emit infrared light.
The human eye cannot see this light, but infrared cameras can detect it. This 'thermal imaging' is useful for detecting people in the dark.

Visible light
Visible light is the light we can see. It is used in fibre optic communications, where coded pulses of light travel through glass fibres from a
source to a receiver.

Ultraviolet radiation
Ultraviolet radiation can kill bacteria that are present in water - this sterilizes the water and makes it safe to drink. Ultraviolet radiation is also
good for the skin as it helps to make vitamin D. However, too much exposure to UV can cause skin problems
Hazards of electromagnetic radiation
Electromagnetic radiation has many uses, but some of the waves can have hazardous effects,
particularly on human body tissues.

Ionizing radiation
Ultraviolet waves, X-rays and gamma rays are types of ionizing radiation. This means that they
can knock electrons from the shells of atoms, turning them into ions. This process of ionization
can lead to mutations in cells, which can lead to cancer.

Ultraviolet waves can cause skin to age prematurely and increase the risk of skin cancer. Gamma
rays can also damage or kill the cells in a person's body. In order to be safe, exposure to ionizing
radiation needs to be kept as low as possible, especially for people who work with this type of
radiation every day in hospitals. A radiographer using X-rays in a hospital has to stand behind a
lead shield or be in another room when the X-ray machine is being operated.

Electromagnetic wave interaction with

matter - Higher
Refraction in the atmosphere
The Earth's surface is curved. In order to send radio waves over long distances they must be
reflected from the ionosphere, which is part of the Earth's atmosphere.

Low frequency radio waves will reflect off the ionosphere and higher frequency waves will
pass through it
Absorption and transmission of waves
As well as being reflected or refracted, waves can also be absorbed or transmitted when they
move from one material to another.

For example, radio waves are transmitted by walls - this explains why these signals can be
detected by radios inside a person's house. However, visible light rays are absorbed by walls,
which is why windows are needed to allow the Sun's rays into a building. Walls also absorb
ultraviolet rays, which is why people don't get sunburnt indoors. The atmosphere absorbs X-rays
and gamma rays from space which can cause harm to the human body.
APPLICATIONS OF ELECTROMAGNETIC
WAVES
The electromagnetic waves (EM waves) are transverse in nature. The changes in the
electric field or the magnetic field represent the wave disturbance in the EM waves. EM
waves are the waves which have the ability to travel through the vacuum of the outer space.
They are created due to the vibration of an electrical charge.

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The electromagnetic waves (EM waves) are transverse in nature. The changes in the
electric field or the magnetic field represent the wave disturbance in the EM waves. EM
waves are the waves which have the ability to travel through the vacuum of the outer space.
They are created due to the vibration of an electrical charge.
These are the waves that get propagated due to the simultaneous variations of the electric
and magnetic field intensity. These include radio waves, visible light, infrared, ultraviolet, X-
rays, gamma rays.

They move at a very constant speed of 3×108 m/s. They are also known as electromagnetic
light, EM radiation or photons.

USES FOR EM WAVES

 They are used to transmit short or long or FM wavelength radio waves.

 They are used to transmit TV or telephone or wireless signals and energies.
 They are responsible for the transmission of energy in the forms of microwaves, visible light,
infrared radiation, ultraviolet light, gamma rays and also X-rays.

APPLICATIONS FOR ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVES

 EM waves accomplish the transmission of energy through a vacuum or using no medium.

 Since electromagnetic waves transmit energy, it plays an important role in our daily lives
including the communication technology.
 Electromagnetic radiation is the foundation for working of radar which in turn is used for
guiding and remote sensing the study of our planet Earth.
 Ultraviolet rays are germicidal in nature and destroy bacteria, viruses and moulds from
various surfaces, air or water.
 UV rays are also used to detect the forged bank notes. Real bank notes don’t turn
fluorescent under the UV light.
 UV rays have also sanitary and therapeutic properties.
 X-rays detect the bone breaks by passing through the flesh and capturing the image.
 Gamma rays can cause and also treat cancers. High doses of gamma rays kill the normal
cells causing cancer while proper amount can kill mutated cells.
 Infrared radiation is used for night vision and comes handy for security cameras.
 Infrared radiation is visible at all times thus is used by officials to capture enemy.

PROPERTIES OF ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVES

 The EM energy is clean. We are not degrading the environment or destroying it to derive the
raw material.
 It is also renewable.
 It is versatile in nature.
 The frequency, wavelength and the speed of light follow a relationship of:

Wavelength* frequency= speed of light

7 Real Life Examples of Longitudinal
Waves
Have you ever noticed a slinky or a spring waving back and forth, just like
shown below? This type of motion in which particles move along the direction
of the wave back and forth is a longitudinal motion.

Longitudinal waves are the waves in which the particles of the medium
propagates along the direction of the motion. Simply, particles travel along the
direction of the motion or a wave. They are composed of compression (when
particles/wave move close to each other) and rarefaction (when particles/wave
move away). They require a medium to travel.
Let’s explore the examples of Longitudinal wave in our daily life.

1. Speaking on the mic

A sound wave is a significant example of a longitudinal wave. When a speaker
speaks some words in front of the microphone, he/she hit the air thousands of
time per second at different frequencies. The sound particles travel along with
the air particles and enter the mic to produce sound.

2. Clapping

When we clap while singing a birthday song or on any other occasion, do you
know, what makes our hand produce that familiar sound of a clap. When we
applaud, we compress and displace the air particles between our hands for a
part of a second, which produces the sound of a clap we are familiar with.

3. Vibrating Drumheads
All of us are familiar with the sound of a drum, and most of us have also tried
hitting the drum in different beats. When we hit the drum with the mallet,
drum head vibrates and produce soundwaves. The soundwaves are generated
because the drum head moves outward and inward, making air particles to
move (vibrate) in the same direction.

4. Tsunami Waves

Tsunamis cause damage to coastal regions and that’s why people residing in
coastal areas are afraid of them. Most people think that sea waves are a
transverse wave as they go up and down. However, sea waves, including
Tsunami, are the example of both transverse as well as a longitudinal wave.
When the waves reach the shore or smaller areas, they become smaller and
thinner, and water particles move parallel to the wave, hence making it a
longitudinal wave.
5. Earthquake (Seismic-P wave)

It is said that animals can sense the earthquake waves much before humans.
They have the ability to sense the seismic P waves, which travel only in the
interior of the earth. Even humans can feel a little bump and rattle of these
waves, but they are mostly unnoticeable to us. The P waves are the fastest, and
they require a medium to travel (solid and liquid). These waves cause the
interior of the earth (tectonic plates) to move back and forth in a longitudinal
manner, which leads to the surface waves (seismic S wave), which we can feel.

6. Vibration in Window Panels after a Thunder

Whenever it is raining heavily, and thunders are there, you might have noticed
the vibration in window panels of your home; it happens because of sound
waves. Lightning causes an increase in the air pressure and temperature,
which creates a shock wave of sound that we hear like a loud boom and cause
our window panels to vibrate.

7. Music Woofers
Have you ever noticed the movement of the woofer cone; moving in and out or
ever felt air pressure on your hand when you try to cover the mouth of a
woofer? It’s because woofers work on the phenomenon of a longitudinal wave.
They move the air particles in or out, producing sound.

Characteristics of Waves
Three characteristics of waves can be measured: amplitude, wave-. length and
frequency.

Longitudinal and transverse waves

Waves transfer energy from one place to another but do not transfer any matter.

Waves can be produced in ropes and springs and along the surface of water.

All these waves can be reflected, they bounce off surfaces.

The waves which travel across the surface of water can also be refracted.
As the waves cross the boundary between two different depths of water they change speed. This causes a
change in their direction (refraction), unless the direction of travel of the waves is along a normal, i.e. at right
angles to the boundary.
A ripple tank can be used to study how waves behave.
There are two main types of wave, longitudinal and transverse.
In longitudinal waves the disturbances travel backwards and forwards in the same direction as the wave is
travelling.

Sound waves and waves which travel through a spring are longitudinal.

In transverse waves the disturbances are at right angles to the direction of the wave.Light waves, waves that
travel along ropes and waves across the surface of water, are transverse.
Describing waves 
When waves travel along ropes or springs or across the surface of water they set up regular patterns of
disturbances.

The maximum disturbance, or height of a wave, is called its amplitude. Notice on the diagram that this is the
distance from the midline of a wave to the top of a crest or to the bottom of a trough.
The distance from a particular point on one wave, to the same point on the next is called the wavelength. This
can be represented by the symbol  .
Wavelength is measured in metres.

The number of waves passing every second is called its frequency, f.

Frequency is measured in units called hertz (Hz).

The faster a wave is travelling the higher its frequency but the shorter its wavelength.

Wave speed, wavelength and frequency are related in the following equation:

                         wave speed    =    frequency   x   wavelength

                             (m/s)                       (Hz)                   (m)
                                          or v = f 

Light waves
Light waves are transverse waves and can travel across a vacuum. They do not need particles to travel. This is
why light can travel across space.
They form part of the electromagnetic spectrum and travel very fast. About 300,000,000 m/s.
When light is reflected from a shiny surface the angle at which it meets the mirror (angle of incidence) is the
same as the angle at which it leaves it (angle of reflection).
 
Rays of light change direction (are refracted) when they cross the boundary between one transparent
substance and another. This is because they change speed.
As light travels from air into a more dense substance, such as glass, Perspex or water, it slows down and is
refracted towards the normal.

If it is travelling in the opposite direction it speeds up and is refracted away from the normal.

If the light is travelling along normal its speed still changes, but it is not refracted.

Total internal reflection

When light travels from glass, Perspex or water into air some of the light is reflected from the boundary, whilst
the rest is refracted.

If the angle of incidence is greater than a certain size, called the critical angle, all of the light is reflected within
the substance and none passes out through the surface.
This is called total internal reflection.

Total internal reflection is made use of in optical fibres and periscopes.

When light travels down an optical fibre, all the light stays inside until it reaches the other end.

This is because light travels down the fibre by repeated total internal reflection.

Optical fibres are used to see inside the body, to see down drains and into cavity walls, and in telephone
cables.
Sound waves
Sound waves are longitudinal waves which travel through solids, liquids and gases.

They cannot travel through a vacuum because they need particles to vibrate.

Sound travels much slower than light.

The speed of sound in air is about 330 m/s.

Sound waves travel faster in liquids than gases, and fastest of all through solids.

Diffraction
Diffraction happens when waves move through a gap or around an obstacle.
The shape of their wavefront changes so they spread out from the edges.

Their speed and wavelength do not change.

Waves that have a longer wavelength are diffracted more strongly.

It is because of diffraction that sounds can sometimes be heard around corners and in the shadow of buildings.

It is also why radio signals, particularly those with a long wavelength, can be received in the shadow of hills.

Because light and sound can be reflected, refracted and diffracted, just like waves that we can see, this
supports the idea that they travel as waves.
What Are the Characteristics of All
Waves?

John White Photos/Moment/Getty Images

Characteristics that all waves have in common are wavelength,

amplitude and frequency. Apart from these properties, different types of
waves have a number of varying characteristics. A wave is defined as a
repetitive disturbance traveling through a medium going from one location to
another.
Wavelength is the distance between one point on a wave to a point on the
same part of the next wave. Wavelength is usually measured from crest to
crest or trough to trough. The crest is the highest point of the wave, and the
trough is the lowest point. Amplitude is the maximum displacement of the
wave. The higher the wave, the larger the amplitude is. Frequency is the
number of waves in a period of time. The hertz is the unit used for measuring
frequency. With sound, a higher frequency indicates a higher pitched sound.
With color, different frequencies correlate with different colors. For instance,
blue has a higher frequency than red.
Several different types of waves exist. Among the types are light waves,
sound waves, microwaves and X-rays. Waves travel at different speeds.
Speed is determined by calculating the distance the wave travels divided by
the time it takes to travel that distance. The medium affects the speed at
which a wave travels. Some waves also carry more energy than others, and
some waves are longer than others