ELECTROMAGNETIC

RADIATIONS
ELECTROMAGNETIC
SPECTRUM
o The EM spectrum is the ENTIRE range of EM waves in order of
increasing frequency and decreasing wavelength.

o As you go from left  right, the wavelengths get smaller and

the frequencies get higher. This is an inverse relationship
between wave size and frequency. (As one goes up, the other
goes down.) This is because the speed of ALL EM waves is the
speed of light (300,000 km/s).
• The higher the frequency, the more energy the
wave has.

• Inverse relationship between wave size and

frequency: as wavelengths get smaller,
frequencies get higher.
Radio waves : Have the longest wavelengths and the
lowest frequencies. Wavelength > 108 nm.
Frequency < 3x109Hz
• Used in: RADAR, cooking food, satellite
transmissions
• Used in Air Traffic Control.
Microwaves : Microwaves have a shorter wavelength
than Radio waves. Wavelength : 105 – 108 nm.
Frequency : 3x109 –3x1012 Hz.

o They are used to heat food in Microwave Ovens

o They are also used for Weather Forecasting.
Infrared waves (heat): Have a shorter wavelength.
Wavelength : 700nm – 105 nm. Frequency : 3x 1012
– 4.3x 1014 Hz
o Used for finding people in the dark and in TV
remote control devices.
o It is also used in Remote Control

Visible light: Wavelengths range from 700 nm (red

light) to 400 nm (violet light) with frequencies
o These are the waves in the EM spectrum that
humans can see.
o Visible light waves are a very small part of the
EM spectrum!
 Visible Light
Remembering the Order

• VIOLET
• INDIGO
• BLUE
• GREEN
• YELLOW
• ORANGE
• RED
Ultraviolet Light: Wavelengths range from 400 nm to 10
nm. Frequency: 7.5×1014 –3×1016Hz. The
frequency (and therefore the energy) is high enough
with UV rays to penetrate living cells and cause them
damage.
o Although we cannot see UV light, bees, bats,
butterflies, some small rodents and birds can.
o UV on our skin produces vitamin D in our bodies.
Too much UV can lead to sunburn and skin
cancer. UV rays are easily blocked by clothing.
o Used for sterilization because they kill bacteria.
 X-Rays: Wavelength: 1 to 10 nm. Frequency:3x1016 –
3x1017Hz.
o These rays have enough energy to penetrate deep
into tissues and cause damage to cells; are stopped
by dense materials, such as bone.

o Used to look at solid structures, such as bones and

bridges (for cracks), and for treatment of cancer.
Gamma Rays: Carry the most energy and have the
shortest wavelengths, less than one trillionth of a
meter. Wavelength: <1 nm. Frequency : >3×1017 Hz.
• Gamma rays have enough energy to go
through most materials easily; you would
need a 3-4 ft thick concrete wall to stop them!
• Gamma rays are released by nuclear reactions
in nuclear power plants, by nuclear bombs,
and by naturally occurring elements on Earth.
• Sometimes, it is used in the treatment of
cancers.
CAUSES OF
ELECTROMAGNETIC
RADIATION
What makes
electromagnetic radiation?
 Electromagnetic radiation is a form of energy. The
light that we see is a type of electromagnetic
radiation.
 Electromagnetic radiation is made when an atom
absorbs energy.
 The absorbed energy causes one or more electrons to
change their position within the atom.
 Depending on the kind of atom and the amount of energy,
this electromagnetic radiation can take the form of heat,
light, ultraviolet, or other electromagnetic waves.

 There are several ways of causing atoms to absorb energy.

One way is to excite the atoms with electrical energy. We do
this in neon signs. The electricity we put through the neon
tubes will excite or add energy to the neon atoms
 The electrons don't like to be in the high energy state and
will fall back down into the low energy state giving off
radiation which we see as light.
 Electromagnetic radiation deposits energy in two forms
: excitation and ionization. Excitation describes the
deposition of enough energy to raise an electron to a
higher electron shell without ejection of the electron.
However, ionizing electromagnetic radiation has enough
energy to eject one or more electrons from the atom.
 X-rays and gamma rays, whose properties are equivalent,
are clinically the most important form of ionizing
electromagnetic radiation in the treatment of cancer.
Effects of
ELECTROMAGNETIC
RADIATION
 PREVENTION OF
EFFECTS OF
ELECTROMAGNETIC
RADIATIONS
THANK YOU