THE ELECTROMAGNETIC SPECTRUM USES

 MOBILE PHONES – WHEN USING A

MOBILE PHONE, RADIO WAVES ARE USED
RADIOWAVES
TO TRANSMIT YOUR VOICE TO A BASE
STATION TOWER, BY THE USE OF TURNING
THE SIGNAL INTO A CODE, WHICH THEN
TRANSMITS THE INFORMATION TO THE
PERSON’S PHONE WHO YOU ARE TALKING
TO
 TELEVISION – TELEVISIONS RECEIVE MOST
OF THE CHANNELS BY THE USE OF
ANTENNAS. THE RADIO WAVES ARE
TRANSMITTED TO THE ANTENNAS BY A
HIGH FREQUENCY OF 470-582MHZ FROM
T.V. STATIONS, ALLOWING THE VIEWER TO
WATCH PROGRAMMES WITHOUT
INTEFERENCE
 WIFI – WIFI USES RADIO WAVES TO
TRANSMIT AND RECEIVE INFORMATION
FROM ONE DEVICE TO ANOTHER, EITHER
FROM MOBILE PHONES OR COMPUTERS.

 MEDICINE - IN SOME CASES MICROWAVES

MICROWAVES CAN BE USED TO TREAT HEALTH
PROBLEMS BETTER THAN
DRUGS. MICROWAVES ARE PRIMARILY
USED IN MEDICAL CASES AS AN
ALTERNATIVE TO SURGERY. FOR EXAMPLE
AN ENLARGED PROSTATE. INSTEAD OF
SURGICALLY REMOVING THE
PROBLEMATIC ORGAN, DOCTORS CAN USE
MICROWAVES TO HEAT OF THE
ENLARGING TISSUE OF THE PROSTATE AND
IN TURN DECREASING THE SIZE OF THE
ENLARGED PROSTATE
 INDUSTRY - MICROWAVES IN THIS FIELD
ARE PRIMARILY USED FOR CLEAN
UP. THEY CAN BE USED TO DECREASE AIR
POLLUTANTS, SANITIZE HOSPITAL WASTE,
ENHANCE DRY CLEANING SOLVENTS, AND
CLEAN UP POLLUTED SOIL.
 SCIENCE - SCIENTISTS USE MICROWAVES
TO MAKE A SPECIAL CONDUCTOR MADE
OF COPPER CALLED
CHALCOPYRITE. MICROWAVES CAN ADD
IN THE PROCESS OF SEPARATING
CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS, THUS ALLOWING
SCIENTIST TO INDIVIDUALLY STUDY EACH
COMPONENT OF THE COMPOUND.
  METEOROLOGY - WEATHER SATELLITES
USE INFRARED TECHNOLOGY TO
INFRAREDS
DETERMINE WATER TEMPERATURE AND
CLOUD FORMATIONS.
 TRACKING TECHNOLOGY - INFRARED CAN
BE USED IN TRACKING TECHNOLOGY;
OBJECTS, COMMONLY MISSILES, CAN BE
SENT TO FOLLOW A TARGET BASED ON
THEIR INFRARED RADIATION.
 ART HISTORY - INFRARED LIGHTS CAN BE
USED TO LOOK UNDER LAYERS OF
PAINTING TO DETERMINE IF THERE ARE
OLDER LAYERS UNDERNEATH.

 VEHICLE TO VEHICLE COMMUNICATION -

VLC CAN BE USED FOR VEHICULAR
VISIBLE LIGHT COMMUNICATION DUE TO THE PRESENCE
OF THE VEHICLE LIGHTS AND THE EXISTING
TRAFFIC LIGHT INFRASTRUCTURE.
 UNDERWATER COMMUNICATION - RF
WAVES DO NOT TRAVEL WELL IN SEA
WATER BECAUSE OF ITS GOOD
CONDUCTIVITY. THEREFORE, VLC
COMMUNICATION SHOULD BE USED IN
UNDERWATER COMMUNICATION
NETWORKS
 HOSPITALS - IN HOSPITALS,
ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVE SENSITIVE
AREAS (SUCH AS MRI SCANNERS) ARE
LIKELY TO SWITCH TO VLC BECAUSE IT
WILL NOT INTERFERE WITH RADIO WAVES
OF THE OTHER MACHINES. A ROBOT
CALLED HOSPI WAS PROPOSED THAT WAS
USED FOR TRANSPORTATION IN
HOSPITALS. THE CONTROL SYSTEM
ENHANCEMENTS IN HOSPI WERE MADE
USING VLC INSTALLED IN A BUILDING AND
NAVIGATIONAL SENSORS OF THE ROBOT.

 UV LIGHT IN LAMPS - LOTS OF NATURAL

ULTRAVIOLET RAYS
AND MANUFACTURED SUBSTANCES CAN
ABSORB UV RADIATION, INCLUDING
PLANTS, FUNGI AND SYNTHETIC
FLUOROPHORE. WHEN THE UV LIGHT IS
ABSORBED, THE ELECTRONS IN THE
MATERIAL REACH A HIGHER ENERGY LEVEL
BEFORE GOING BACK TO THEIR LOWER
LEVEL IN A SERIES OF SMALLER STEPS.
WITH EACH STEP, THEY RELEASE PART OF
THEIR ABSORBED ENERGY AS VISIBLE
LIGHT. FLUORESCENT LAMPS IONIZE
VAPOR IN THEIR TUBES, MAKING
 ELECTRONS IN THE GAS GIVE OFF
PHOTONS AT UV FREQUENCIES. A
PHOSPHOR LAYER ON THE INNER SIDE OF
THE TUBE CHANGES THE UV LIGHT INTO
STANDARD VISIBLE LIGHT.
 UV LIGHT IN TANNING - SUNBURN IS A
FAMILIAR EFFECT OF OVEREXPOSURE TO
UV LIGHT. WHEN YOUR SKIN IS EXPOSED
TO UVB RAYS, THE BODY'S NATURAL
DEFENSE MECHANISM KICKS IN,
PRODUCING A PIGMENT CALLED
MELANIN, WHICH ABSORBS UV LIGHT AND
SPREADS IT AS HEAT. YOUR SKIN GOES
DARKER BECAUSE THE BODY SENDS
MELANIN INTO NEIGHBORING CELLS TO
TRY TO PREVENT DAMAGE. TANNING
BOOTHS USE ARTIFICIAL UV LIGHT IN
LAMPS THAT PASS ELECTRIC CURRENTS
THROUGH A GAS, SUCH AS VAPORIZED
MERCURY.
 UV LIGHT IN PHOTOGRAPHY - UV
PHOTOGRAPHY, WHICH IS OFTEN USED
FOR MEDICAL, SCIENTIFIC AND FORENSIC
PURPOSES, USES SPECIFIC LENSES TO LET
UV LIGHT PASS THROUGH THE CAMERA'S
LENSES. NATURE PHOTOGRAPHERS MAY
USE UV PHOTOGRAPHY TO CAPTURE
PATTERNS IN FLOWERS THE HUMAN EYE
CANNOT SEE. BY MODIFYING THEIR
CAMERAS, THEY CAN COLLECT ONLY THE
UV LIGHT THAT HITS THE CAMERA
SENSOR.

X-RAYS  BROKEN BONES - TODAY, X-RAYS ARE AN

INTEGRAL PART OF CONTEMPORARY
HOSPITALS AND MEDICAL CENTRES. THIS
IS THEIR MOST COMMON APPLICATION,
WITH DOCTOR’S USING MACHINES TO
TAKE PHOTOGRAPHS OF A PATIENT’S
BODY. PHOTOGRAPHIC FILM IS PLACED
BEHIND THE BODY, WITH THE X-RAY THEN
TURNED ON. THE RAYS EASILY PASS
THROUGH THE SKIN, BUT TAKE A LITTLE
LONGER TO TRAVEL THROUGH THE BONE.
THIS IS WHY BONES APPEAR MUCH
LIGHTER IN COLOUR. USING THE RESULTS,
DOCTORS CAN DEVELOP EFFECTIVE
TREATMENT PLANS.
 RADIATION THERAPY - X-RAYS PLAY AN
IMPORTANT ROLE IN THE FIGHT AGAINST
CANCER, WITH HIGH ENERGY RADIATION
USED TO KILL CANCER CELLS AND SHRINK
TUMOURS. PATIENTS UNDERGO
 TREATMENT OUTSIDE THE BODY (KNOWN
AS EXTERNAL-BEAM RADIATION THERAPY)
OR FROM RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL THAT’S
INSERTED INTO THE BODY IN CLOSE
PROXIMITY TO CANCER CELLS. THIS IS
CALLED INTERNAL RADIATION THERAPY,
OR BRACHYTHERAPY. RADIATION THERAPY
CAN BE DANGEROUS, YET IT’S STILL
RECEIVED BY AROUND 50% OF CANCER
PATIENTS DURING THE COURSE OF THEIR
TREATMENT.
 AIRPORT SECURITY - ALMOST EVERY
AIRPORT ON THE PLANET IS NOW FITTED
WITH SOME FORM OF X-RAY SECURITY
SYSTEM THAT SCANS BAGGAGE TO CHECK
FOR DANGEROUS ITEMS. IN THE PAST FEW
YEARS FULL BODY X-RAY SCANS HAVE
ALSO EMERGED AS AN ADDITIONAL
SECURITY MEASURE.

GAMMA RAYS
 INDUSTRIAL APPLICATIONS - GAMMA
RAYS ARE USED IN AN INDUSTRIAL
SETTING TO DETECT DEFECTS IN METAL
CASTINGS AND TO FIND WEAK SPOTS IN
WELDED STRUCTURES. IN A PROCESS
KNOWN AS INDUSTRIAL RADIOGRAPHY,
SECTIONS OF STRUCTURES ARE
BOMBARDED WITH GAMMA RAYS WHICH
SAFELY PASS THROUGH THE METAL.
 FOOD INDUSTRY APPLICATIONS - GAMMA
RAYS, NAMELY IN THE FORM OF A
RADIONUCLIDE CALLED COBALT 60, ARE
USED TO PRESERVE FOOD IN THE SAME
WAY AS THEY ARE USED TO STERILIZE
MEDICAL EQUIPMENT IN THAT THEY
IRRADIATE DECAY CAUSING BACTERIA.
 MEDICAL INDUSTRY APPLICATIONS -
GAMMA RAYS IONIZE LIVING TISSUE,
CAUSING CANCER BY PRODUCING FREE
RADICALS. HOWEVER, BECAUSE GAMMA
RAYS ALSO KILL BACTERIA AND CANCER
CELLS, THEY HAVE BEEN USED TO KILL
CERTAIN TYPES OF CANCER. IN A
CONTROLLED PROCEDURE, GAMMA RAYS
ARE EMPLOYED AS A “GAMMA KNIFE”
CONSISTING OF MULTIPLE
CONCENTRATED BEAMS OF GAMMA RAYS
THAT ARE FOCUSED DIRECTLY ONTO A
TUMOR TO KILL THE CANCER CELLS WHILE
LEAVING THE SURROUNDING CELLS
UNHARMED. GAMMA RAYS HAVE ALSO
BEEN USED TO STERILIZE EQUIPMENT AS
 AN ALTERNATIVE TO CHEMICAL
TREATMENTS.

COSMIC RAYS
 NATIONAL SECURITY - IT SEEMS LIKE IN
TODAY’S WORLD EVERYTHING IS LINKED
TO THIS TOPIC, AND COSMIC RAYS ARE NO
EXCEPTION. THE SMUGGLING OF NUCLEAR
MATERIAL HAS ALWAYS BEEN AN
IMPORTANT CONCERN TO MANY
COUNTRIES, AND THERE ARE SOME WAYS
IN WHICH COSMIC RADIATION CAN HELP
US IN PREVENTING IT.
 GLOBAL WARMING - THE CHARGED
SECONDARY PARTICLES PRODUCED BY
COSMIC RAY INTERACTIONS IN THE
ATMOSPHERE AFFECT CLOUD
FORMATION, AND HENCE MAY PLAY AN
IMPORTANT ROLE IN THE OVERALL
RADIATION BALANCE OF THE EARTH.
PHYSICISTS BEHIND THE CLOUD
EXPERIMENT AT CERN ARE TRYING TO
DETERMINE HOW IMPORTANT THIS
EFFECT IS BY EMULATING COSMIC RAYS
USING THE HISTORIC PROTON
SYNCHROTRON ACCELERATOR. THE
ACCELERATED PARTICLES ARE THEN SENT
INTO A REACTION CHAMBER (SEE IMAGE)
WHERE THE PRESSURE AND
TEMPERATURE CONDITIONS OF THE
ATMOSPHERE ARE RECREATED. THE
INTERACTION BETWEEN THESE PARTICLES
AND THE ATMOSPHERE INSIDE THE
CHAMBER IS ANALYZED TO STUDY THE
SIGNIFICANCE OF COSMIC RADIATION IN
THE FORMATION OF CLOUDS AND ITS
IMPACT ON GLOBAL WARMING
SCENARIOS.
 COMPUTERS - COMPUTERS STORE
INFORMATION IN RAM MEMORY CHIPS BY
CHARGING AND UNCHARGING BILLIONS
OF TINY CAPACITORS. THE INTERACTION
OF COSMIC RAYS WITH THESE CAPACITORS
COULD TURN A BINARY 0 INTO A 1 OR VICE
VERSA WITH UNPREDICTABLE
CONSEQUENCES.