The Nature of Electromagnetic Waves

Accelerating electrons produce electromagnetic waves. These waves are a combination of

electric and magnetic fields. A changing magnetic field produces an electric field and a changing
electric field produces a magnetic field. As accelerated electrons produce an electric field of a wave, the
varying electric field produces the wave’s magnetic field. Both the electric field and the magnetic field
oscillate perpendicular to each other and to the direction of the propagating wave.

Figure 1. Electromagnetic Wave

All electromagnetic waves can travel through a medium but unlike other types of waves, they
can also travel in vacuum. They travel in vacuum at a speed of 3X10 8 m/s and denoted as c, the speed of
light. The wave speed, frequency, and wavelength are related by the following equation:
v=λf
where v is the wave speed, or c (speed of light) expressed in meters per second, the frequency f
is expressed in Hertz and the wavelength λ is expressed in meters.
Since all the EM waves have the same speed and that is equal to the speed of light, as
wavelength decreases, the frequency of the wave increases.

Through the years, the advancement on the knowledge about

electromagnetic waves led us to a modern technological world.

Example Problems:
(Assume that the waves propagate in a vacuum.)
1. What is the frequency of radio waves with wavelength of 20 m?
2. What is the frequency of light waves with wavelength of 5 X 10-7 m?
Check your understanding!
Are these statements true? If not, correct them.
1. Electromagnetic waves transfer energy through vacuum.
2. A wave is a disturbance that transfers energy.
3. Most EM waves are invisible and undetectable.

The Electromagnetic Spectrum

The electromagnetic spectrum is a continuum of electromagnetic waves arranged according to

frequency and wavelength. It is a gradual progression from the waves of lowest frequencies to the waves
of highest frequencies. According to increasing frequency, the EM spectrum includes: radio waves,
microwaves, infrared, visible light, ultraviolet, X-rays, and gamma rays. These waves do not have exact
dividing region.
The different types of electromagnetic waves are defined by the amount of energy carried
by/possessed by the photons. Photons are bundles of wave energy. The energy of a photon is given by
the equation:
 E=hf
where h is the Planck’s Constant and f is the frequency of the EM wave. The value of the Planck’s
constant is 6.63 x 10-34 joules per second.
From among the EM waves, the gamma rays have photons of high
energies while radio waves have photons with the lowest energies.

With regards to wavelength, radio waves can be likened to the size of a football field while
gamma rays are as small as the nuclei of an atom.

Figure 2 will give you a clearer idea of the characteristics of the electromagnetic waves as
their sizes are compared with visible materials.

Figure 2. The Electromagnetic Spectrum

 Table 1 shows the relative wavelength, frequency, and energy of each of the different types of
electromagnetic waves.

Table 1. The electromagnetic waves’ wavelengths, frequencies, and energies

EM Wave Wavelength (m) Frequenzy (Hz) Energy (J)
Radio > 1 x 10-1 < 3 x 109 < 2 x 10-24
Microwave 1 x 10-3 -1 x 10-1 3 x 109 - 3 x 1011 2 x 10-24 - 2 x 10-22
Infrared 7 x 10-7 - 1 x 10-3 3 x 1011 - 4 x 1014 2 x 10-22 - 3 x 10-19
Visible 4 x 10-7 - 7 x 10-7 4 x 1014 - 7.5 x 1014 3 x 10-19 - 5 x 10-19
UV 1 x 10-8 - 4 x 10-7 7.5 x 1014 - 3 x 1016 5 x 10-19 - 2 x 10-17
X-ray 1 x 10-11 - 1 x 10-8 3 x 1016 - 3 x 1019 2 x 10-17 - 2 x 10-14
Gamma-ray < 1 x 10 -11
> 3 x 1019 > 2 x 10-14

Radio Waves

Radio waves have the longest wavelength in the

electromagnetic spectrum. They are produced by making
electrons vibrate in an antenna. They are used to transmit
sound and picture information over long distances.

Figure 3. A radio

Radio waves have a very wide range of wavelengths. The whole region of the radio waves is
divided into smaller regions or wavebands. Each waveband is allocated by law to a specific radio
service. The wavelengths and frequencies of the different wavebands and their uses are shown in Table
2.

Table 2. Radio waves Frequencies

BAND Frequency Wavelength Application
Range Range
Extremely Low < 3 kHz > 100 km
Frequency (ELF)
Very Low 3-30 Hz 10-100 km
Frequency (VLF)
Low Frequency 30-300 kHz 1-10 km Radio communication
(LF)
Medium Frequency 300 kHz – 3 100m – 1 km Radio communication (AM
(MF) MHz radio broadcasting)
High Frequency 3 – 30 MHz 10 – 100 m Radio communication (AM
(HF) radio broadcasting)
Very High 30 – 300 MHZ 1 – 10 m Radio communication (FM
Frequency (VHF) radio broadcasting)

TV Broadcasting
Ultra High 300 MHz – 3 10 cm – 1 m Radio communication (FM
Frequency (UHF) GHz radio broadcasting)

TV Broadcasting
Super High 3 – 30 GHz 1 – 10 cm Radio communication
Frequency (SHF)
Satellite Communication
Extremely High 30 – 300 GHz 1mm – 1 cm
Frequency (EHF)

Low frequency waves are suitable for communication over great distances. But the curvature of
the earth limits the range to about 80 kilometers. To extend the range, a repeater is used. The repeater
 receives the signal and re-transmits it to the receiving station.

High frequency waves can be reflected by the ionosphere. This enables the waves to be
transmitted over great distances.

Medium and high frequency waves are used for broadcasting by local radio stations. In a radio
station, sound is converted by a microphone into patterns of electric current variations called audio-
frequency (AF) signals. High frequency radio waves called radio-frequency (RF) carriers can be
modulated to match the electronic signal. In amplitude modulation, the amplitude of the radio waves (RF
carrier) changes to match that of the audio-frequency signal. This is used in standard broadcasting
because it can be sent over long distances. Very high frequency waves provide a higher quality
broadcasting including stereo sound. In this process, instead of the amplitude of the RF carrier, it is the
frequency of the waves that changes to match that of the signal. This is called frequency modulation.

Microwaves
Microwaves have smaller wavelengths than radio waves. They are used in satellite communications, radar,
television transmission and cooking.

Applications of Microwaves
Satellite Communications

Microwaves can penetrate the atmosphere of the earth. This is the reason why they are used for
satellite communications. Communication satellites travel around the earth at an altitude of 35, 000 km
above the equator. They move at a speed of 11 300 km/h and revolve around the earth every 24 hours,
the same rate as the rotation of the earth. This makes them appear to be stationary when seen on
Earth. Antennae are mounted to point in fixed directions towards these satellites. Microwaves signals
are transmitted by an antenna to a satellite which amplifies and re-transmits the signal to an antenna in
other parts of the world. This is how we communicate with the rest of the world.
Radar
Microwaves have short wavelengths and are reflected by small objects. This property is used in
radars. Radar is the acronym of radio detection and ranging. A radar system is consists of an antenna,
transmitter, and a receiver. The antenna whirls around continuously to scan the surrounding area. The
transmitter sends out a narrow beam of microwaves in short pulses. A distant object reflects some of the
signal back to the receiver. The direction to which the signal was received gives the direction of the
object. The distance of the object can be calculated from the time lag between the transmitted pulse and
the reflected pulse.

Terrestrial Communication

Microwaves are used to transmit television news coverage

from mobile broadcast vehicles back to the station. The news crew
can also set up a small antenna to send signals to a communication
satellite. This is how news are broadcasted and watched live
around the world.

Figure 6. A Television set

A cell phone is a radio transmitter and receiver that uses microwaves. Cellular phones depend on
overlapping network of cells or areas of land several kilometres in diameter. Each cell has its tower that
receives and sends microwave signals. The figure below will give you further understanding on the
process.

Microwave oven

In a microwave oven, foods absorb certain microwave frequencies very strongly. The
microwaves penetrate the food being heated. It will agitate the water molecules within the food, thus
 creating molecular friction which then produces heat that will cook it.

Infrared

Infrared radiation lies beyond the red end of the visible light. It is emitted by all objects. The
amount and wavelength of radiation depend on temperature. Below 500oC, an object emits only infrared
radiation. Above 500oC, an object glows and emits both infrared and some visible light.

Our bodies radiate infrared and under infrared camera or a night vision goggle, our images appear
in variety of colors. The differences in color determine the differences in temperature. For example,
shades of blue and green indicate regions of colder temperature; and red and yellow indicate warmer
temperature.

Figure 9. Infrared image of a dog

In Figure 9, the dog is covered with thick coat of fur that prevents the heat generated by the
dog’s body from escaping. Notice that the dog’s nose is cold while the eyes and mouth areas are warm.

The following are some useful applications of IR radiation:

1. Infrared photographs taken from a satellite with special films provide useful details of the
vegetation on the Earth’s surface.
2. Infrared scanners are used to show the temperature variation of the body. This can be used
for medical diagnosis.
3. Infrared remote controls are used in TVs, video, cassette recorders,
and other electronic appliances.
4. Some night-vision goggles use IR.
5. Some autofocus cameras have transmitter that sends out infrared pulses. The pulses are
reflected by the object to be photographed back to the camera. The distance of the object is
calculated by the time lag between the sending and receiving of pulses. The lens is then
driven by a built-in motor to adjust to get the correct focus of the object.

The Visible Spectrum

When white light passes through a prism, it is separated into its constituent colors: the red, orange,
yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. These colors do not distinctly separate but they continuously
change from red to violet. Red color has the longest wavelength from among these colors and violet has
the shortest.
 -7
DEPED COPY Figure 10. The Visible Spectrum

Our eyes are sensitive to electromagnetic waves of wavelengths that ranges from 4x10 -7 m to
7x10 m. This is the range of wavelengths of white light. Thus, the spectrum of white light is therefore
called the visible spectrum. Table 3 shows the wavelengths of the different colors that constitute the
white light.

Table 3. The Wavelength of the Different Colors of Light

Color Wavelength (nm)
Violet - Indigo 390 to 455
Blue 455 to 492
Green 492 to 577
Yellow 577 to 597
Orange 597 to 622
Red 622 to 700

Ultraviolet Radiation

Ultraviolet radiation lies just beyond the violet end of the visible spectrum. Ultraviolet waves have
shorter wavelengths than the visible light and carry more energy.

Some Uses of UV Radiation

The sun is our main source of ultraviolet radiation but there are also artificial sources of UV
light. Ultraviolet radiation in UV lamps are used by banks to check the signature on a passbook. The
signature is marked on the passbook with fluorescent ink. It becomes visible when viewed under an
ultraviolet lamp. These lamps are also used to identify fake banknotes.

Ultraviolet radiation is also used in sterilizing water from drinking fountains. Some washing
powder also contains fluorescent chemicals which glow in sunlight. This makes your shirt look whiter
than white in daylight.

Ultraviolet radiation in sunlight produces vitamin D in the skin and gives us tanning effect. But
since UV rays have high energy, it could be harmful to some extent. It could burn the skin and hurt our
eyes. Overexposure to UV radiation may cause skin cancer. Suntan or sunscreen lotions serve as filters
to protect the body from ultraviolet radiation.

X-rays
X-rays come just after the ultraviolet rays. They are of shorter wavelength but carries higher
energy than the UV.

X-rays are produced using an X-ray tube. They are emitted

when fast moving electrons hit a metal target. X-rays were
 discovered by Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen in 1895.

Long wavelength X-rays can penetrate the flesh but not the
bones. They are used in X-ray photography to help doctors
look inside the body. They are useful in diagnosing bone
fractures and tumors.

Figure 11. An X-ray film

Short wavelength X-rays can penetrate even through metals. They are used in industry to inspect
welded joints for faults.

All X-rays are dangerous because they can damage healthy living cells of the body. This is the
reason why frequent exposure to X-rays should be avoided. Too much exposure to X-rays can damage
body tissues and can cause cancer.

Gamma Rays

Gamma rays lie at the other end of the electromagnetic spectrum. They are shortest in
wavelength and highest in frequency. They carry the highest amount of energy, thus, they are more
dangerous. Gamma rays are emitted by stars and some radioactive substances. They can only be
blocked with lead and thick concrete.

Gamma rays are very strong that they can kill living cells. Gamma rays are used to treat cancer
through the process called radiotherapy. They are also used for sterilization of drinking water.