The

Electromagnetic
Spectrum
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The Electromagnetic Spectrum 1
What is the Electromagnetic Spectrum?

 The electromagnetic spectrum is the complete

spectrum (or continuum) of all forms of “light”

 An electromagnetic wave consists of electric

and magnetic fields which vibrate - thus making
waves.

 Vibrations
2
 What is the Electromagnetic Spectrum?

 The electromagnetic spectrum consists of:

 radio waves
 cell phone waves
 microwaves
 radar waves
 infrared waves
 visible light waves
 ultraviolet waves
 x-ray waves
 gamma waves
The Electromagnetic Spectrum 3
The Electromagnetic Spectrum 4
Waves

 Properties of electromagnetic waves include

speed, frequency and wavelength

 Speed (s), frequency (f) and wavelength () are

related in the formula:

s =f x 

 All light waves travel at a speed of 3 x 108 m/s in

a vacuum
The Electromagnetic Spectrum 5
 Relationship Between
Wavelength & Frequency
 All parts of the electromagnetic spectrum travel at the same speed
 Therefore, wavelength and frequency have an indirect relationship.
 This means that as one characteristic increases, the other decreases
 In other words, as wavelength increases, frequency decreases

The Electromagnetic Spectrum 6

 Relationship Between
Wavelength & Frequency
 As wavelength decreases, frequency will?
 increase

 See the relationship

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Wavelength, Frequency,
Energy
 Electromagnetic wave characteristics:
 short wavelengths have a high frequency
 long wavelengths have a low frequency

 Electromagnetic waves & Energy:

 high frequency waves have high energy
 low frequency waves have low energy

The Electromagnetic Spectrum 8

Wavelength, Frequency, Energy

Fill in the table below:

wavelength frequency energy

long
high

The Electromagnetic Spectrum 9

 Wavelength & Energy

smaller wavelengths increasing frequency increasing energy

If you haven’t already, sketch this drawing into your

notes. Don’t worry so much about the actual
wavelengths, just get the general shape and where the
various forms of light (radio, infrared, x-ray,
The Electromagnetic Spectrum 10
etc) exist.
The Electromagnetic Spectrum 11
 Radio waves

 Low energy waves with longest wavelengths

 Includes FM, AM, radar and TV waves
 Wavelengths of 1 m (10 -1 m) and longer
 Low frequency
 Used in many devices such as remote control items,
cell phones, wireless devices, etc.

The Electromagnetic Spectrum 12

Microwaves

 Only radio waves are

longer

 Wavelength 1 x 10-1 m to
1 x 10 - 4 m (1 m to 0.001
m)

 used for communication,

medicine and consumer
use (microwave ovens)
The Electromagnetic Spectrum 13
 Infrared waves
 Invisible electromagnetic waves
that are detected as heat

 Can be detected with special

devices such as night goggles

 Used in heat lamps

 Higher energy than microwaves

but lower than visible light
The Electromagnetic Spectrum 14
Visible Light

 The portion of the electromagnetic spectrum

that human eyes can detect

 ROY G BIV (red, orange, yellow, green, blue,

indigo, violet)

 Which color has the lowest frequency?

 red has the lowest frequency – violet the highest
The Electromagnetic Spectrum 15
The Electromagnetic Spectrum 16
Ultraviolet waves

 Higher energy than light waves

 Can cause skin cancer and blindness in humans

 Used in tanning beds and sterilizing equipment

The Electromagnetic Spectrum 17

X-Rays

 High energy waves

 Used in medicine,
industry and astronomy

 Can cause cancer

The Electromagnetic Spectrum 18

Gamma rays

 Highest energy

 Blocked from Earth’s

surface by atmosphere

The Electromagnetic Spectrum 19

The Electromagnetic Spectrum 20
Time to remember...

① What is the relationship between

frequency and wavelength?

① What characteristic of gamma

waves gives them their high
energy?

① What does ROY G BIV mean? What

part of the electromagnetic
spectrum does it refer to?
The Electromagnetic Spectrum 21
Time to Think

④ Which color is more energetic, red

or yellow?

⑤ Which type of wave travels faster,

gamma or radio?

⑥ Why are microwaves more

dangerous than radio waves?

The Electromagnetic Spectrum 22

Apply What You Know

⑦ You have just been

involved in a traffic
incident that leaves you
stranded on the side of the
road. Which part of the
electromagnetic spectrum
would be of the most use
to you and why?

The Electromagnetic Spectrum 23

 Answers

① Frequency and wavelength are properties of waves and since speed is

constant for em waves, as frequency increases, wavelength decreases. In
other words, they have an indirect relationship.

① Gamma waves get their high energy from their extremely short wavelengths
(or extremely fast frequency)

① ROY G BIV stands for “red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet.
They are the colors of the visible light in order of longest wavelength to
shortest wavelength.

① Yellow is more energetic than red because it has a shorter wavelength (or
larger frequency)

① Gamma waves and radio waves travel at the same speed

① Microwaves are more dangerous than radio waves because they have a higher
frequency and carry more energy.
The Electromagnetic Spectrum 24
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The Electromagnetic Spectrum 25

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The Electromagnetic Spectrum 12/04/23 26