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By vincent.yen.1 | Updated: Jan. 20, 2025, 1:02 p.m.

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Electromagnetic 
Waves
Vincent Yen
What is 
Electromagnetic energy?
Electromagnetic Energy: 
The radiant energy that travels in waves at the speed of light.  It can also be described as radiant energy, electromagnetic radiation, electromagnetic waves, light, or the movement of radiation.
Electromagnetic waves are formed when an electric field comes in contact with a magnetic field.
When electromagnetic waves strike each other, they may be:
reflected
refracted
diffracted
Or
they may be absorbed by matter and converted to other forms of energy.
Our Sun is a source of energy across the full spectrum, and its electromagnetic radiation bombards our atmosphere constantly.
However,
the Earth's atmosphere protects us from exposure to a range of higher energy waves that can be harmful to life.
Gamma rays, x-rays, and some ultraviolet waves are "ionizing," meaning these waves have such a high energy that they can knock electrons out of atoms.
Exposure to these high-energy waves can alter atoms and molecules and cause damage to cells in organic matter.
These changes to cells can sometimes be helpful
and other times not, as when we get sunburned.
as when radiation is used to kill cancer cells
The electromagnetic spectrum is ordered from increasing frequency and decreasing wavelength.
As you go from left to right, the wavelength decreases as the frequency increases.
This is an inverse relationship between wavelength and frequency.
Moving along the electromagnetic spectrum from long to short wavelength, energy also increases as wavelength decreases. 
This is an inverse relationship between energy and wavelength, and a direct relationship between frequency and energy.

There are 7 sections of the electromagnetic spectrum:
Radio waves
Microwaves
gamma waves
visible light
ultraviolet
x-rays
infrared waves
Radio Waves
Radio waves have the longest wavelengths in the electromagnetic spectrum.
They range from the length of a football field to larger than our planet!
Heinrich Hertz proved the existence of radio waves in the late 1880s.
He used a spark gap attached to an induction coil and a seperate spark gap on a receiving antenna.
Fun fact: radio waves are present when you dial in your car!
Microwaves
Microwaves have a narrow, focused frequency band, and will travel in a straight line, and can even penetrate the earth’s atmosphere. 
Microwave communication is clear over a long distance through space.
In 1959 U.S navy engineers discovered that microwaves could bounce off objects in the solar system.
Fun fact: Microwaves are also used in microwaves to quickly cook your food!
Infrared Rays
 Infrared waves are just above the wavelengths of the visual light spectrum.
We encounter infrared waves every day; the human eye can’t see it, but we can detect it as heat.
The military uses infrared lenses that use infrared waves to detect bodies of heat.
Fun fact: A remote control uses infrared light waves to change channels on your TV!
Visible Light Waves
Visible light waves are the only wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum that humans can see. 
he different wavelengths of visible light are seen as the colors of the rainbow: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet.
We concentrate visible light to make lasers to use in everything from surgery, to CD players to laser pointers.
Fun fact: Visible light waves also make our TV, computer and cell phone screens work.
Ultraviolet Waves
Ultraviolet (UV) radiation is a form of non-ionizing radiation that is emitted by the sun and artificial sources, such as tanning beds. 
Ultraviolet waves are used in industrial processes and in medical and dental practices for a variety of purposes, such as killing bacteria, creating fluorescent effects, curing inks and resins, phototherapy and suntanning.
The atmosphere does little to shield these rays—most UVA radiation reaches Earth's surface.UVA rays cause skin aging and eye damage, and can lower your body's ability to fight off illness. 
UVA rays also contribute to the risk of skin cancer. 
X-rays
X rays are a form of electromagnetic radiation, similar to visible light.
Unlike light, however,  x-rays have higher energy and can pass through most objects, including the body.
One of the most well known uses of x-rays are in the medical field, where doctors can check patients to see if there are broken bones.
X-rays are used by the detectives and the police department officials to detect the presence of illicit substances such as explosive drugs, etc.

Gamma Rays
Gamma rays have the smallest wavelengths and the most energy of any wave in the electromagnetic spectrum.
Gamma rays are essentially very energetic X rays ; the distinction between the two is not based on their intrinsic nature but rather on their origins.
In the medical field, gamma rays are used in cancer screening devices and in surgical procedures to guide removal of tumors. They are an effective way to treat some types of cancer.
During radiation therapy, high doses of ionizing radiation (much higher than those used for imaging tests) are directed at the cancer, resulting in the death of the cancer cells.
The End

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