Electromagnetic waves

ELECTROMAGNETIC When an electric field changes, so does the

WAVES magnetic field. The changing magnetic field
causes the electric field to change. When one
WAVE field vibrates—so does the other.
– is a disturbance which travels through a RESULT-An electromagnetic wave.
medium or vacuum in which energy is
Electromagnetic waves travel VERY FAST –
transferred. Waves are created when objects
around 300,000,000 meters per second (the
vibrate or oscillate.
speed of light).
KINDS OF WAVES
At this speed they can go around the world 8
1. MECHANICAL WAVES times in one second.
2. ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVES  Produced by the movement of electrically
charged particles
MECHANICAL WAVES – these are waves that
travel through a medium like air, water and  Can travel in a “vacuum” (they do NOT
solids. Ex. Sound waves, water waves, waves need a medium)
that travel along a spring or rope
 Travel at the speed of light
TYPES OF MECHANICAL WAVES
=3X108 m/s
a. TRANSVERSE WAVES – are waves in which the
 Also known as EM waves
particles move up and down perpendicular to
the direction of motion. Ex. Oscillating string,  They travel as vibrations in electrical and
light waves, water waves magnetic fields.
b. COMPRESSIONAL OR LONGITUDINAL WAVES  Have some magnetic and some electrical
– are waves in which particles move back and properties to them.
forth parallel to the direction of the wave
motion. Ex. A longitudinal wave in a spring,
sound waves
ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVES – these are waves
that travel through a perfect vacuum. They
need no medium to travel in. Ex. Light, x-rays,
microwaves, ultraviolet waves, radio waves, • Transverse waves without a medium!
gamma rays, infrared
• (They can travel through empty space)
 Most waves are either longitudinal or
transverse.
 Sound waves are longitudinal.
 But all electromagnetic waves are
transverse…

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)
The EM spectrum has 7 kinds of waves
– Each radio station in an area
broadcasts at a different
frequency.
# on radio dial tells frequency
 Longest wavelength EM waves but has the
lowest frequency
 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.
 Uses:
 TV broadcasting
 AM and FM broadcast radio
 Heart rate monitors
 Cell phone communication
 GPS
 MRI (MAGNETIC RESONANCE
IMAGING)
 Uses Short wave radio
waves with a magnet to
create an image
 lowest energy EM radiation
Microwaves = 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.

(longest to shortest wavelength)  Wavelengths from 1 mm- 1 m

1. Radio waves  Uses:

2. Microwaves  Microwave ovens
3. Infrared radiation
4. Visible light  Bluetooth headsets
5. Ultraviolet rays  Broadband Wireless Internet
6. X-rays
7. Gamma rays  Radar =(Radio Detection and
Ranging) Used to find the speed of
Radio waves = A radio picks up radio waves an object by sending out radio
through an antenna and converts it to sound waves and measuring the time it
waves. takes them to return.
Infrared radiation = 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.
 Wavelengths in between microwaves and
visible light
 Uses:
 Night vision goggles
 Remote controls
 Heat-seeking missiles
Visible light = When light enters a new medium
it bends (refracts). Each wavelength bends a
different amount allowing white light to separate
into it’s various colors ROYGBIV.
= Longest wavelength= red light
= Shortest wavelength= violet (purple) light
 Only type of EM wave able to be detected
by the human eye
 Violet is the highest frequency light
 Red light is the lowest frequency light
Ultraviolet = Carry more energy than visible light
 Shorter wavelengths than visible light
 Uses:
 Black lights
 Security images on money
 Harmful to living things
-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)
 Used to sterilize medical
equipment
 Too much causes sun burn
 Extremely high exposure
can cause skin cancer
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.
 Tiny wavelength, high
energy waves
 Uses:
 Medical imaging
 Airport security
 Moderate dose can be
damaging to cells
Gamma 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.
 Smallest wavelengths, highest energy EM
waves
 Uses
 Cancer treatment to kill cancer
cells
 Kills nearly all living cells.
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 Thomas Young - In 1801, he discovered the
different frequencies. diffraction and interference of light which can be
explained only in terms of the wave theory.
– Long wavelength-lowest
frequency - Diffraction of light
– Short wavelength highest
frequency
– The higher the frequency the
higher the energy.

LIGHT WAVES
LIGHT
- Is a form of Electromagnetic wave.
- Is a form of energy that has the properties of - Interference of light
both particles and waves. (Dual nature)
ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVES
 waves that do not require medium to
travel.
 a form of traveling electrical and
magnetic transverse waves.
 have common properties: exhibit
reflection, refraction, diffraction and
interference, travel at the speed of light (3
x 108 m/s) & obey the wave relation (v =
ffi).
James Clerk Maxwell - Maxwell predicted in 1860
Light is only a small part of a much more that changing electric and magnetic fields could
extensive range of waves known as the propagate through space as electromagnetic
…Electromagnetic spectrum wave and that light itself is an electromagnetic
Each type of EM waves occupies a particular wave.
range of wavelengths known as band. Heinrich Hertz - He discovered experimentally in
1880’s the existence of electromagnetic waves
through radio waves.
Max Planck - In 1900, he introduced his
postulates to explain blackbody radiation. He
proposed that energy comes in discrete units
called Quanta (the Quantum means the smallest
part possible unit).
NATURE OF LIGHT
Albert Einstein - In 1905, Einstein theorized that
Sir Isaac Newton proposed in his article the light is composed of bundles of wave energy later
Corpuscular Theory of light (light is made of called photons, in agreement with Planck’s
streams of particles). findings.
As opposed to Christian Huygens’ Wave Theory Arthur Compton - His experiments in 1923
of Light showed that photons of x-rays decreased in
energy when colliding with electrons. This
suggested that radiation behaves like a particle.
Louis-Victor de Broglie - A year later, he
extended the possibility further by proposing that
matter can have wave properties and thus
reinforced that the fact that light, and even
matter, has a dual nature.
PRODUCING VISIBLE LIGHT - No one can see
anything in the absence of light. Most of the
objects you see are visible because they reflect
light.
An object that can be seen because it reflects
light waves is an Illuminated Object.
- Moon is an illuminated object seen
because sunlight is reflected off its
surface.
Object that gives off its own light because of the
energy of its oscillating particles is called
Luminous object.
- Sun and stars send out their own light.
“there are some object that can produce their own
light and some can only reflect the light”
SOURCESS OF LIGHT – are hot bodies that radiate
light
1. Natural source = make their own light
2. Artificial source = manmade (candle,
flashlight, lighter etc.)
- thermal
- gas discharge
- luminescent
Rectilinear propagation of light – light travels in
a straight line
The area where light rays cannot reach is called a
shadow
= shadow formation is a proof that light travels in
straight lines
= shadow is consisting of 2 regions:
- darker region is known as full shadow or umbra
- lighter region known as a partial shadow or
penumbra
Eclipse – is a natural phenomenon that exhibits
rectilinear propagation of light.
A solar eclipse occurs when the moon cast its
shadow on the earth
A lunar eclipse occurs when the earth casts its
shadow on the moon
Brightness of light
The measurement of the brightness of a light
source is known as Photometry.
Three measurable quantities of light:
1. luminous intensity = - refers to the brightness
of a light source and is measured in terms of
candela (cd).
2. luminous flux = - is the rate at which light is
emitted from a source and strikes the surface of a
whole sphere. It is expressed in terms of lumens
(lm).
3. illumination = is the amount of illumination.
- is the amount of luminous flux falling on a unit
area of a surface, measured in terms of lumens
per square meter, or lux (lx).
Properties of light
Light has an effect on materials, light maybe
transmitted, reflected, absorbed or scattered as it
strikes a material.
Opaque materials absorbs light waves.
Transparent materials transmit light waves.
Translucent materials allow light to be
transmitted through them but its ray are
distorted during the passage.
Reflection
Diffused reflection
- the dispersal or scattering of reflected rays.
- do not produce any clear images.
- occurs in rough, opaque surfaces.
REGULAR OR SPECULAR REFLECTION
- more light is reflected than what is
absorbed.
- results to sharply defined images.
- occurs in smooth, opaque surfaces.
REFRACTION
- the bending of light as it travels from a
transparent medium of one density to another
medium of a different optical density
Light travels fast in air, slow in water and slower
still in glass.
INDEX OF REFRACTION
- the measure of how much a ray of light bend
when it enters a material.
RODS - - enable you to see in black and white in
DISPERSION -- is the process by which light is dim light
separated into its colors due to differences in
degrees of refraction. CONES - provide you with color vision in bright
light
The rainbow is formed by dispersion of sunlight in
drops of water. COMBINING COLORS
Prism - A triangular glass block. Rain stands like White light is made up of a whole range of colors.
the prism when a rainbow is formed Colors are produced with light and pigments in
totally different ways. Adding the three primary
TOTAL INTERNAL REFLECTION
colors of light will produce different secondary
- occurs when light travels from a denser to a less colors. Secondary pigment colors, are produces
dense medium and strikes the surface at an angle by subtraction.
greater than the critical angle of a material.
Primary colors of light
- The critical angle for diamond is so small that
the light is most likely to be totally internally
reflected.
INTERFERENCE - Interference of Light in Bubbles
The different colors that appear to streak the
surface of soap bubbles correspond to different
wavelengths of visible light interfering with each
other at that point on the bubble’s surface.
DIFFRACTION Primary pigment of light

- is the spreading out of light when passing

through a small slit or around edges or corner.
SCATTERING OF LIGHT
- accounts for the red color of the sky at sunset
and sunrise and the blue sky at daytime.
POLARIZATION
- light waves that are confined to parallel planes.
Polarized light can be produced by transmission
through certain crystals aligned in a particular
direction.
SPECTRA AND COLORS
The retina of the human eye contains cells that
are sensitive to color. These are called the rods
and cones.
 PROBLEM
SOLVING/EQUATION
formulas

With energy

Sample problem

When transformed so that it can fit the given in

the problem.
E= hv or E=hf is max plancks quantum theory
formula
Where h is always equals to 6.63x10^-34 J.s

Solution
Another example

If frequency is to be solved but the given are E

and h

= 4.15x10^13 Hz