How long do you think the Sunlight travels to
the Earth?
- The earth is 93 million miles away from
the sun but it only takes 8 minutes for
the light of the sun to reach the earth.
Speed of Light
• Light travels at 300,000,000 m/s
• Symbol for speed of light (c)
• primary source of light (sun)
• We see the moon because it reflects the
sun’s light
Classification of light based on its origin:
Natural sources: sun, moon, lightning, light
coming from worms, fishes through
bioluminescence
Artificial sources: candle flame, torches,
lamps bulbs
It takes 1 second for light reflected off the
moon to reach the earth.
Light as a particle
• contains photon (packet of energy)
which has no mass
• Elementary particles like neutron and
protons which means it has NO
SUBPARTICLES.
• Forms the basic unit of electromagnetic
(EM) radiation, which propagates in
space through electromagnetic waves.
Think of a photon as a grain of sand.
We see so many photons at the same time it’s
like seeing all the sand on a beach; we don’t
notice the single grains
Wave
- Christian Huygens
- Light is a wave
Particle
- Isaac Newton
- Light is made up of Stream of particles
Newton thought that light was a particle
because the edges of the shadows it created
were extremely sharp and clear.
About the same time as Newton, Dutch
physicist, Christian Huygens, believed that light
was made up of waves vibrating up and down
perpendicular to the direction of the light
travels. It explained diffraction and could be
demonstrated through experimentation.
Later on, since Scientists found the explanation
of Huygens and Newton correct, they combined
both theories.
Conclusion: Light is a wave and a particle
Wave-particle Duality
• A theory that describes light and matter
showing both the characteristics of a
particle with mass and a wave that
carries energy.
• Objects that do not allow light to pass
through them and change the path of
light are called opaque.
• Objects that allow light to pass through
them are considered transparent.
• Objects allows light to pass through
them partially are called translucent.
Opaque- wood, stone, human
Transparent- water, glass
Translucent- tracing paper, wax paper,
A wave is a temporary disturbance that transfer A common example is when a cellphone is
energy from one place to another. placed near powered audio equipment or
speakers, and it causes a noise or series of
We have 2 types of a wave: mechanical and
beeps to be heard.
electromagnetic wave
Diffraction- is the bending of a wave around the
Waves in water and sound waves in air are two
corners of an obstacle.
examples of mechanical waves
Formation of rainbow
Matter, such as solid, liquid, gas, or plasma that
mechanical waves are traveling through is called CHARACTERISTICS OF WAVES
a medium.
 The greater the amplitude (a) of a wave
Electromagnetic waves, such a visible light then the more energy it is carrying.
differ from mechanical waves in that they do
Amplitude is the distance between the resting
not require a medium to propagate.
position when a wave passes through
This means that electromagnetic waves can
 Wavelength ( ) – the distance between
travel not only through air and solid materials,
2 consecutive crests or troughs, and
but also through a vacuum space.
usually measured in meters ( m ).
How are electromagnetic waves or EM waves -LAMBDA
formed?  Frequency (f)– the number of waves
passing a point in a certain time. We
- Electromagnetic waves are formed
normally use a time of 1 second, so this
when an electric field comes in contact
gives frequency the unit hertz (Hz),
with a magnetic field.
since one hertz is equal to one wave per
- EM Waves are created as a result of
second.
vibrations between an electric field and
magnetic field

Electricity and magnetism can be static, but

changing magnetic field will induce electric
field and vice versa.

These changing fields form electromagnetic

waves

The electric field and magnetic field are also  Speed of Light (c) – all electromagnetic
perpendicular to the direction of the EM wave. wave travels at the same sped which is
about 3.0 x 10^8 m/s through a vacuum
EM waves are transverse waves

EM waves are capable of showing diffraction or

interference.

Interference- a phenomenon where two waves

of the same kind overlap to produce a resultant
wave.
TYPES OF EM WAVES: the right side of the electromagnetic
spectrum in the figure below.
 RADIO WAVES
 MICROWAVES Ionizing em waves are more dangerous to
 INFRARED humans than non-ionizing
 VISIBLE LIGHT
 ULTRAVIOLET
 X-RAYS
 GAMMA RAYS – most energetic, has the
highest frequency

AS THE ONE GOES UP, THE OTHER GOES DOWN

Em waves can be classified as ionizing or non-

ionizing form of radiation

 Non-ionizing radiation is the part of the

electromagnetic spectrum where there
is sufficient energy to cause ionization,
these includes: radio waves,
microwaves, infrared, visible light, and
ultraviolet.
 Non-ionizing radiation is not strong
enough to directly affect the structure
of atoms or damage DNA; however, it
does cause atoms to vibrate, which can
cause them to heat up.
 Ionizing radiation is a type of energy
released by atoms that travels in the
form of electromagnetic waves, these
includes: gamma rays and x-rays
 Ionizing radiation is a form of energy
that acts by removing electrons from
atoms and molecules of materials that
include air, water, and living tissue.
Ionizing radiation can travel unseen and
pass through these materials. It is on

Radio Waves
 Longest wavelengths – ranging from
0.1m to 10 000m.
 Lowest frequencies– from about 30 000
cycles per second or 30 000 hertz, up to
about 300 trillion hertz or 3000
megahertz.
 1887
 Heinrich Hertz became the first person
to transmit and receive controlled radio
waves.
 The unit of frequency of an EM wave –
one cycle per second – is called a Hertz
(Hz).
 best-known for their use in
communication technologies
Radio Frequency Bands
APPLICATION OF RADIO WAVES:
Radar (radio detection and ranging)
- use for detection of objects
- weather forecasting
- military surveillance
- air traffic control
- monitoring speed of highway patrol
- tracking satellites and debris
- Automatic doors
- Wi-Fi
- Bluetooth
- Global Positioning System (GPS) –
cellphones have built-in GPS feature
which locates positions within a 10 –
100m accuracy.
- Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) –
store and transmit data, which is similar
to the universal product code (UPC) or
bar code that is seen on grocery items.
- In the Philippines:
- RFID is used for ELECTRONIC TOLL
COLLECTION commonly known as ETC
- In School, RFID is used for libraries and
tracking the attendance of students at
gates
In MEDICAL WORLD:
 Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) –
for viewing internal parts of the human
body without invasive exploratory
surgery.
 ideal for reducing cellulite on the body
and wrinkles and fine lines on the face
and for tightening sagging or loose skin.
 SUN and JUPITER are extraterrestrial
SOURCES of RADIO WAVES
MICROWAVES
 Frequency – 300 000 000 Hz to 300 000
000 000 Hz, which is from 300 MHz to
300 GHz
 Wavelength – 0.001m to 0.1 m
 Discovered by James Clerk Maxwell in
1864.
 Microwaves cause water and fat
molecules to vibrate, which makes the
substances hot. It uses 2.45 GHz to cook
food
 Mobile phones use microwaves, as they
can be generated by a small antenna,
which means that the phone doesn’t
need to be very big.
Application of Microwaves:
 Used in industrial processes for drying
and curing products.
 Used in Medical Field
 Microwave Ablation uses the heat of
the microwaves to shrink or destroy
tumors.
 Microwave imaging is used to assess
and monitor progress of treatment of
breast cancer via microwave
tomography.
 Are high frequency radio waves mainly
used for communication, especially
from 2 to 40 GHz
 Mostly used for long-distance
telephone calls before the introduction
of optical fibers
 Used to send signals for cable
television, as well as video or audio
feeds for production vans to broadcast
stations
 Used in remote sensing for disaster
management and mapping
 MICROWAVE DOPPLER RADARS are
used in weather forecasting
INFRARED
 William Herschel, a British Astronomer,
discovered these rays in 1800
 Infrared radiation cannot be seen by
the naked eye but it can be felt as
HEAT.
Always Remember!!!
Objects with higher temperatures produce
infrared rays of shorter wavelengths and higher
frequencies than object with lower
temperature.
 Infrared waves are just below visible
red light in the electromagnetic
spectrum.
 Given off by hot objects, and you can
feel them as warmth on your skin.
 Infrared waves are also given off by
stars, lamps, flames and anything else
that’s warm.
 Computers, laptops, palmtops, and
printers are equipped with infrared
data association ports that enable you
to transfer and print data without
connecting them with a cable
 Food can also be cooked using infrared
radiation.
 Physiotherapists use heat lamps to help
heal sports injuries.
 Medical infrared imaging is used for
diagnosis and prognosis in areas such as
oncology, rheumatology, sports
medicine, and orthopedics.
 It also used to monitor progress of
therapy and rehabilitation.
 IR is also used for short-range
communications, for example between
mobiles phones, or for the Dolby
Screentalk headset system used in
some cinemas.
 Night sights for weapons sometimes
use a sensitive IR detector.
 These detect the Infra-Red emitted by
people and animals.
 Police helicopters tracks criminal at
night, using “thermal imaging” cameras
which can see in the dark
 Weather forecasters use satellite
pictures to see what’s heading our way
because some of the images they use
are taken using IR cameras, which can
show cloud and rain patterns more
clearly.
 Ear Thermometer – pyroelectric
thermometer was developed based on
the fact that the human body generates
heat that is dependent on its
temperature.
 Autofocus Camera - sends infrared
radiation to the subject to be
photographed. The camera determines
the distance of the subject from the
time lapse between the sending of
infrared radiation to the detection of its
reflected radiation. The camera, then
automatically adjusts its focus.
