EM WAVES
eye, Microwaves are classified as ''non-
 
Radio Wave
•   Radio wave is a type of electromagnetic
radiation that has the longest wavelength in
the electromagnetic spectrum and is used by
humans for long distance communication.
•   Radio waves are usually used for fixed or
mobile radio communication, broadcasting,
radar, and communication satellites.
•     The radio wave's concept was first
predicted by James Maxwell by predicting the
behavior of electromagnetic waves from the
Maxwell equation. The concept was later
demonstrated by Heinrich Hertz. But the first-
ever successful practical implementation was
created by Guglielmo Marconi for which he
was awarded the Nobel prize.
•       Radio/ Television signals
•      Are radio waves that are produced by
making electrons vibrate.
•       Global Positioning System (GPS)
•     Is a space-based navigation system that
provides geographical position and time
information anywhere on or near the Earth.
•      Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
•      It is a medical imaging technique that uses
powerful magnets, computer and radio waves
to make detailed pictures inside your body.
Microwaves
•      Microwave radiation is a form of non-
visible, non-ionizing electromagnetic
radiation. This means that, unlike visible light
(another form of electromagnetic radiation),
microwaves are not detectable by the human
ionizing,'' meaning that they do not carry
enough energy to cause damage to organic
cells. Within the electromagnetic spectrum,
microwaves fall between infrared radiation
and radio waves.
•      James Clerk Maxwell, a Scottish
mathematician and theoretical physicist,
predicted the existence of electromagnetic
waves in 1865. His predictions were based on
the ''Maxwell-Heaviside equations.'' These
coupled partial differential equations helped to
build the foundation for the electromagnetic
theory. For the next couple of decades,
scientists were unable to demonstrate the
existence of these hypothetical waves. In
1888, the German physicist Heinrich Rudolf
Hertz designed and built an apparatus that was
able to produce and detect ultra-high
frequency microwaves. Hertz, the unit for the
frequency of a wave, was named after him.
Although Hertz was able to verify the
existence of these invisible waves, the
physicist did not understand the practical
applications of microwaves. In the decades
that followed, other scientists built off of
Maxwell and Hertz's foundation. This led to
the invention of satellite communication,
radar, phones, GPS, medical equipment, and
microwave ovens.
•   Microwaves are short radio waves (high
frequency and high energy)Reflected by metal
Readily pass through glass, plastic, and the
ionosphere
• Used to heat materials by making their atoms
and molecules vibrate
• Absorbed by water molecules
• Energy transmission is affected by the
reflection, refraction, diffraction, and
interference of the waves
• cell phone signals are carried through the air
as microwaves.
• Radar stands for radio detection and ranging.
In police radar, a radar gun sends out short
bursts of microwaves.
• Microwaves are used in food processing
industries
• They are used in electromagnetic heating for
treating cancer patients (Hyperthermia for
treating cancer).
• Microwaves are used for tracking missiles,
detecting aircraft and other flying objects.
Infrared Waves
• Infrared radiation (IR), or infrared light, is a
type of radiant energy that's invisible to
human eyes but that we can feel as heat. All
objects in the universe emit some level of IR
radiation, but two of the most obvious sources
are the sun and fire.
• WHO DISCOVERED INFRARED?
was born in Hanover, Germany
a musician and an astronomer
Herschel discovered the existence of infrared
light by passing sunlight through a glass prism
in an experiment similar to the one we describe
here. As sunlight passed through the prism, it
was dispersed into a rainbow of colors called a
spectrum. A spectrum contains all the visible
colors that make up sunlight.
• A continuum of frequencies produced when
atoms absorb and then release energy. Infrared
radiation is created when objects are heated at
temperatures not quite high enough to make
them glow. You can detect infrared radiation
by the heating effect it has on your skin.
Special sensors are also used to detect IR.
USES OF INFRARED RADIATION
Heating (cooking, saunas, industrial)
Night vision (goggles, cameras)
Imaging (biological, mineral, defense,
astronomy)
Climatology
Meteorology
Laser applications.
Epilation.
Tattoo removal.
Blue light therapy.
Light therapy with daylight lamps.
Visible light
• Visible light is the light we can see, so is used
in photography and illumination. It is
also used in fibre optic communications
and photography.
• We can see these waves as the colours of the
rainbow where each colour includes a
different wavelength. Red has the
longest wavelength and violet has the
shortest one. When all the waves are
seen together, they form white light.
When white light comes through the
prism, it gets broken into the colours of
the visible light spectrum.
• In 1665, Isaac Newton took a glass prism and
held it up to a beam of sunlight streaming
through the window. He saw the sunlight that
passed through the prism spread out into the
colors of the rainbow - red, orange, yellow,
green, blue and violet. The range in
wavelengths in the Visible Light Spectrum
was discovered by Isaac Newton.
• The portion of the electromagnetic spectrum
that is visible to the human eye is known as
the visible light spectrum. Visible light range
comes under the range of EM spectrum
between infrared and ultraviolet.
Ultraviolet Rays (UV rays)
• Ultraviolet rays are the part of the
Electromagnetic Spectrum ranging from the
end of the visible light range to the X-ray
region. It is harmful rays as a continuous
effect on humans can cause skin and eye
disorders. Moreover, it is the source of
Vitamin D, plays an important role in human
growth.
• A large amount of UV rays coming from the
sun is absorbed by the ozone layer in the
atmosphere. Some other sources of UV rays
are black lights, mercury lamps, and tanning
lights.
• UV radiation is produced either by heating a
body to an incandescent temperature, as is the
case with solar UV, or by passing an electric
current through a gas, usually vaporized
mercury. The latter process is the mechanism
whereby UV radiation is produced artificially.
• In 1801, Johann Ritter conducted an
experiment to investigate the existence of
energy beyond the violet end of the visible
spectrum. Knowing that photographic paper
would turn black more rapidly in blue light
than in red light, he exposed the paper to light
beyond violet. Sure enough, the paper turned
black, proving the existence of ultraviolet
light.Johann Ritter's experiment was designed
to expose photographic paper to light just
beyond the visible spectrum and prove the
existenceof light beyond violet—ultraviolet
light.
• UV radiation is widely used in industrial
processes and in medical and dental practices
for a variety of purposes, such as killing
bacteria, creating fluorescent effects, curing
inks and resins, phototherapy and suntanning.
X-rays
• X-rays are a type of radiation called
electromagnetic waves. X-ray imaging creates
pictures of the inside of your body. The
images show the parts of your body in
different shades of black and white. This is
because different tissues absorb different
amounts of radiation.
• Wilhelm Roentgen, Professor of Physics in
Wurzburg, Bavaria, discovered X-rays in 1895
—accidentally—while testing whether
cathode rays could pass through glass. His
cathode tube was covered in heavy black
paper, so he was surprised when an
incandescent green light nevertheless escaped
and projected onto a nearby fluorescent
screen. Through experimentation, he found
that the mysterious light would pass through
most substances but leave shadows of solid
objects. Because he did not know what the
rays were, he called them ‘X,’ meaning
‘unknown,’ rays.
• X-rays and gamma rays are created in nuclear
power plants, and are also used in smaller
amounts for things like medical imaging tests,
cancer treatment, and food irradiation. X-rays
and gamma rays are in packets of energy
known as photons. X-rays are a form of
electromagnetic radiation, similar to visible
light. Unlike light, however, x-rays have
higher energy and can pass through most
objects, including the body. Medical x-rays
are used to generate images of tissues and
structures inside the body
Gamma Rays
• Gamma-rays are electromagnetic radiation
and that carries a lot of energy. They have the
highest frequency and the shortest
wavelength. They pass through most types of
material. Only something hard, like a lead
block or a thick concrete block, can stop their
transmission. Gamma rays cannot be reflected
in mirrors like X-rays. Instead, they will pass
right through the mirror.
• A Gamma ray, also known as gamma
radiation, is a penetrating form of
electromagnetic radiation arising from the
radioactive decay of atomic nuclei.
• Gamma-rays are produced by the hottest and
most energetic objects in the universe, like
neutron stars, supernova explosions, and areas
around black holes.
• Gamma-rays can also be produced in man-
made high-energy sources. Scientists use
HERMES(High Energy Radiation Megavolt
Electron Source) and other tools to test how
weapons components and electronics survive
radiation, helping to ensure that the nuclear
stockpile is safe, secure, and effective without
nuclear explosive testing.

• Gamma rays were first observed in 1900 by a

French chemist 'Paul Villard' when he was
investigating radiation emanating from
radium.

• Few years later, a New Zealand-born chemist

and physicist 'Ernest Rutherford' proposed the
name "gamma rays," following the order of
alpha rays and beta rays which were names
given to other particles that are created during
a nuclear reaction, thus the name stuck.

Uses or applications of gamma-rays: Sterilize

medical equipment, Sterilize food (irradiated
food), Used as tracers in medicine, Radio
therapy in oncology to kill cancerous cells,
Helps to kill carcinogenic cells. It also helps to
prevent their growth, Helps to preserve food for
a longer period, Generate nuclear reactions,
Produce valuable data about the structure of the
nucleus of the atom, We use it for sterilizing and
disinfecting medical equipment, also use it in the
development of bombs and nuclear reactors,
Gamma radiations can detect cracks according to
variation in thickness. It can also detect density
change, weld defect, and non-uniformity of
material.