Year 10-Electromagnetic Spectrum Research Ayesha Khan, 10M1 Radio Waves: The highest wavelength is 1-2 km.

Radio wave frequencies range from roughly 300 000 Hz to 3000 million Hz. Radio waves are longer in frequency than microwaves. We use them to carry radio, mobile phone & TV signals. We can use radio waves instead of cables to connect computers to printers, etc. For example, devices with Bluetooth are able to share media, etc, provided that they are within a 10m range of each other. This is done through the use of radio waves. We use radio waves because they are longer in wavelength and lower in frequency than microwaves. Its speed in a vacuum is 300,000km/s or 300 million m/s. However, large doses are said to cause cancer (ie through mobile phone use). They were first predicted by a man called James Clerk Maxwell in 1867. He noticed wavelike properties of light and similarities in electric and magnetic observations by generating radio waves in his lab. Lots of inventions followed his amazing discovery, ie transferring radio waves through space.

Microwaves: Microwaves lie between radio waves and infrared radiation in the EM Spectrum. They have a shorter wavelength than radio waves. We can use them to carry mobile phone signals, because microwaves dont diffract as much as radio waves. They are also used in satellite TV because they are able to penetrate the Earths atmosphere and travel through a vacuum. Also, they can be used to beam signals from one place to another. Its speed in a vacuum is 300,000 km/s or 300 million m/s. However, microwaves can cause internal heating of the cells. Usually have a wavelength of a couple of cm. Can also be used for radar, fixed traffic cameras, etc. However, too much exposure to them can lead to cataracts in the eye. Furthermore, research suggests that it may affect the brain in some ways, especially those of young children, as their skulls are thinner, and it is easier for microwaves to penetrate their skulls. It was discovered accidentally in 1945, after high powered microwave radar transmitters were developed by WWII, using British technology shared with US company. Percy Spencer, an engineer from Maine, worked at the time. He was working on an active radar set when his colleagues chocolate bar in his pocket began to melt due to the microwaves. The first food to be deliberately cooked with Spencers microwave was popcorn, the second an egg. The first time the public could use a microwave was in 1947 when the first vending machine was placed in the Grand Central Terminal to dispense sizzling hot dogs.

Infra red radiation: There are many, many things infrared radiation can be used for. Firstly, it can be used for medicinal purposes; it locates the warmer areas of the body where tissues beneath could potentially be unhealthy or feverous. Another use of infrared is through police work or perhaps criminal investigations through a use of infrared cameras, sometimes known as thermal imagery. It enables us to see animals and people far more clearly in the dark than we normally would. Thirdly, it is used in communications systems in the form of optical fibres- They use infrared rather than light because infrared radiation would be absorbed less than light, and we want the signal/message to be as clear as possible, with as little absorption as possible. Also, it can be used in our remote control handsets for our TVs when signals are transmitted; whenever you click a button, a series of infrared pulses are sent out. However, infrared radiations can cause burns! It was discovered in 1800 by a Sir Frederick William Herschel. He decided to investigate the temperature of each colour of the spectrum produced when sunlight is passed through a prism. To do this, he used three thermometers whose bulbs were black. One bulb was placed directly in the colour and the other two past the spectrum. He noticed two things: the temperature of the thermometer placed in colour was bigger than controls, and that there was a temp increase from violet to red. When he noticed the temp of the region beyond the red part of the spectrum was higher than the red itself. He called this calorific rays. He carried out further experiments to find out infrared radiation could be absorbed, transmitted, reflected and refracted.

Visible light: White light, as we know, contains all the colours of the spectrum; Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo and Violet. The wavelength increases as we get closer to the red side of the spectrum. We can see this if we split the light using a glass prism. In some professions, a clear understanding of visible light is crucial. For example, photographers; they need to know how shades and colours of light affect the exposure of the photographs. In a film camera, light is focused by the camera lens onto a light sensitive film, which then needs to be developed in order for you to see your photograph, whereas in a digital camera, light is focused by the lens onto a sensor, which consists of thousands of pixels. Each pixel represents one part of the image, so when we put them together, the image is formed- we can see this image on a small screen. When a photo is taken, the image is saved electronically onto a memory card. A problem/danger is that too much or bright light can damage your retina. The discovery stages are very interesting In 1666, Newton passed sunlight through a prism and watched it break into a kaleidoscope of colours. Just like the wavelength differences, the array of colours are made of waves

of different lengths.This is how he found red waves are the longest and violet waves are the shortest Ultraviolet: Ultraviolet rays can be used to kill Also, severe burns occur. It can be used to get a suntan, although too much could obviously be incredibly harmful to your skin cells, later perhaps causing skin cancer. It can be used also to detect forged bank notes in shops and can also harden some types of dental filling. They can also be used to sterilize surgical equipment and air in operating theatres. Suitable doses make the body produce vitamin D, used by doctors to treat vitamin d deficiency and a few skin disorders. However, large doses can damage your retina internally. In 1801, Johann Ritter discovered ultraviolet light. He decided to conduct experiments to determind if invisible light existed past the violet part of the spectrum aswell. He was experimenting with silver chloride. He had heard that exposure to blue light caused a bigger reaction in silver chloride than exposure to red light. Ritter measured the rate at which silver chloride reacted when exposed to diff colours of light. He placed silver chloride in each colour of the spectrum. He noticed there was little change in the red part of the spectrum, but increasingly darkened in the violet end of the spectrum. He then decided to place silver chloride in the area just beyond the violet end of the spectrum. To his surprise, the silver chloride displayed an intense reaction well beyond the violet, where no visible light could be seen. This proved there was an invisible form of light: Ultra violet. X-Rays: X-Rays have a very high frequency and carry lots of energy. They are useful to us in medicine and different sorts of industry because they help us see inside things as they will pass through most substances. They are given off by stars. How an X-Ray machine works is basically, a beam of electrons is fired at a specific target. If we fire the electrons with enough energy, we will produce X-Rays. They are used in airport security checks, in X-Rays and by astronomers. However, some dangers of using XRays include cancers and cell damage, which is why radiographers stand behind a shield while carrying out an X-Ray. In 1895, W.C. Roentgen was in his lab, working with a cathode ray tube, similar to fluorescent light bulbs. He removed all air, filled it with a gas and passed a high voltage through it. When he did this, there was a fluorescent light. He shielded the tube and found a green coloured light could be seen from a screen. He realized he had produced an unknown invisible ray being emitted from the tube, and it was somehow capable of passing through heavy paper. He found it passed through most solid objects. He called it X-Ray because of the mathematical symbol x meaning, unknown quantity. He also found it passed through human tissue leaving bones and metal visible. (He experimented with his wifes ring)!

Gamma Rays: They are radioactive and have an extremely high frequency. They pass through many substances and there are very few things that stop them travelling through these substances- you need lead or concrete to block them out! They are used to kill cancer cells, however they also attack our body cells, sometimes leading to bigger problems. Secondly, they can be used in tracers: doctors insert slightly radioactive substances into a patients body, then scan the patient to locate the gamma rays and get an image of what is happening inside the body. This is useful, because they can see the body processes as they are being carried out; it is not just a still picture. However, there are problems with Gamma rays. For example, they can cause cell damage, mutations in some unborn babies and cancers. In 1896, Henri Becquerel discovered natural radioactivity. He discovered it while looking at properties of fluorescent minerals. One was a uranium compound. Uranium ores produce naturally occurring gamma radiation. Becquerels discovery was unnoticed by scientists. Only a few of the scientists were interested in his findings. It wasnt till the radium discovery by Marie Curie and her husband two years later that everyone became interested in radioactivity. What is the relationship between the wavelength, frequency and energy levels of the different waves? The greater the energy, the larger the frequency and the shorter the wavelength. The higher the frequency, the shorter the wavelength; it follows that short wavelengths are more energetic than long wavelengths. What is a photon? A photon is a particle representing light or other EM radiation. A photon carries energy proportional to the radiation frequency, but has zero rest mass.