Programme:

Doctor Of Physical Therapy

Course:
PHYSICAL AGENTS & ELECTROTHERAPY II

Riphah College of Rehabilitation Science(RCRS)

Riphah International University Islamabad
 Physics of heat and Radiation

Definition of heat and temperature

Physical effects
Transmission of heat
Radiant energy electromagnetic spectrum its
production & properties
Laws governing radiation
 What is heat?
Heat is a form of energy that is transferred by a difference in
temperature.
 Heat is the transfer of kinetic energy from one medium or
object to another.
The standard unit of heat in the International System of Units
(SI) is the Calorie(cal)
1 Calorie=the amount of energy transfer required to raise the
temperature of one gram of pure liquid water by one degree
Celsius.
1 kcal = 1000 cal.
What is Temparature?
Temperature is a physical property of matter that
quantitatively expresses the degree of hotness or coldness of a
body or environment.
The basic unit of temperature in the International System of
Units (SI) is the Kelvin. It has the symbol K.
Quantitatively, temperature is measured with thermometers.
There are three temperature scales in use today, Fahrenheit,
Celsius and Kelvin.
Transmission of heat
 Physical effects of Heat

Expansion
Change of state of matter.
Acceleration of chemical action
(Vant’s Hoff’s law)
Production of a potential difference
Production of electromagnetic waves
Thermionic emission
Reduced velocity of fluids
 The Electromagnetic Spectrum

Radio waves Ultra Violet

(0.1mm-100km) (10nm-400nm)
Infra-Red X-rays
(750nm-0.4mm) Gamma rays
Visible light (0.01pm-100nm)
(400nm-750nm)
Electromagnetic Fields
Laws Governing Radiation
Infra-red, visible and ultra-violet waves
travel in straight lines untill they encounter a
different medium, when they may be
transmitted, reflected or absorbed.

Reflection
Refraction
Absorption
 Reflection
Reflection occurs when an electromagnetic wave
encounters a medium which will not transmit it. In this
case the ray is reflected back in the same plane such that
the angle between the incident ray and the normal equals
the angle between the reflected ray and the normal
Angle of incident is 0=angle of reflection is 0.
E.g. parabolic reflector is normally used in IR & UV
lamps.
 Refraction
Occurs when EM RAYS are transmitted from one medium to
another with an angel of incidence greater than zero.
Snell’s law.
When passing into optically denser medium, the ray is
refrected toward the normal.
When passing into less dense medium, the ray is refrected
away from the normal.
E.g. hydrotherapy & ultrasound.
 Absorption
When EM rays strike a new medium they may be
absorbed and thus produce an effect (law of
Grotthus)
Depend upon:
1. Wavelength of rays
2. Nature of medium
3. Angle of incidence
 Filter
 a medium which will absorb some EM waves while
allowing others to pass.
 Window glass allows visible light & IR to pass while filters
UV rays.
 Water absorbs IR but allows visible & UV to pass.
 X-rays are passed through soft tissues onto photographic
plate but absorbed to a great extent by bone.
 Cellophane absorbs short UV rays while allowing long ones
to pass.