Electromagnetic Spectrum Flashcards
(9 cards)
Category: EM Wave Properties
What are the properties of EM Waves?
- They are all transverse waves.
- They all travel at the speed of 3.00x10^8m/s in vacuum
- They are able to travel in a vacuum.
Category: Types of EM Waves
What are some ways that EM Waves can be produced?
- An electric charge is accelerated
- Highly-energetic molecules, atoms or nuclei transit to some lower energy states.
- Based on the temperature of a Blackbody.
Category: Types of EM Waves
What are the characteristics of radio waves and what are some problems associated with it?
- Radio waves has the longest wavelength and the shortest frequency amongst the EM Waves. It has a wavelength of 10^4 to 10^-2 m, and has a frequency of 10^4 - 10^10 Hz. Its long wavelength allows for a large amount of diffraction, making it suitable for long-distance communication.
- Such radio waves require government regulation in order to prevent interference and control transmission.
Category: Type of EM Waves
What are the characteristics of and problems associated with microwaves?
Microwaves has a frequency of 10^9 to 10^12 Hz, and a wavelength of 10^-1 to 10^-4 m, where the shorter wavelength reduces diffraction for short distance communication, and is used in microwave ovens and cell phones.
However, microwaves may be linked to some forms of cancer as it causes damage to living tissue due to the heating of water molecules within the tissue.
Category: Type of EM Waves
What are the characteristics of and problems associated with infrared radiation?
Infrared radiation has a frequency of 10^11 to 4x10^14 Hz, and has a wavelength of 10^-3 to 7.5x10^-7. Infrared radiation causes objects absorbing it to become warm, thus it is used for remote sensing, night vision goggles, and identification of sources of heat.
A problem associated would be that significant exposure to infrared radiation could burn tissue.
Category: Type of EM Waves
What are the characteristics of and problems associated with visible light?
Visible light has a frequency of 4.0x10^14 to 7.5x10^14 Hz, and possesses a wavelength of 7.5x10^-7 to 4.0x10^-7. Such light is able to reflect off of the objects around us, making them to visible to the human eye. It also diffracts around small objects, thus making them invisible.
A problem associated with visible light is that it limits the size of the objects that may be seen.
Category: Type of EM Waves
What are the characteristics of and problems associated with ultraviolet rays?
Ultraviolet rays have a frequency of 7.5x10^14 — 10^17 Hz, with a wavelength of 4.0x10^-7 to 10^-9m. Such rays are easily absorbed by objects, causing fluorescence of some materials, tanning in humans, and killing bacteria.
A problem associated with ultraviolet rays is that such rays may cause sunburn, and prolonged exposure may cause mutations and cancer in people.
Category: Type of EM Waves
What are the characteristics of and problems associated with X-Rays?
X-Rays have a frequency of 10^17 to 10^20 Hz, with a wavelength of 10^-9 to 10^-12m. Such rays are able to penetrate most matter, and is absorbed by denser material, such as bone. These rays destroy carcinogenic cells or mutant cells, and is used for medical imaging in humans.
However, prolonged exposure to such rays are also able to cause mutations and cancer in humans.
Category: Type of EM Waves
What are the characteristics of and problems associated with gamma rays?
Gamma rays have a frequency of 10^19 to 10^24 Hz, with a wavelength of 10^-11 to 10^-16m. Such rays penetrate matter very deeply, and destroys carcinogenic and mutant cells on a local scale, and is used to probe the structure of matter and in industrial imaging.
Such rays are able to cause radiation sickness and even death.
