1.

Both AM and FM radio programs are transmitted over the air via radio waves, which are

part of a broad range of electromagnetic waves that include visible light, X-rays, gamma rays and others. Electromagnetic waves are all around us in different frequencies. Radio waves are similar to light waves but are at a frequency our eyes are not sensitive to. Electromagnetic waves are generated by alternating current (AC), the electrical power used to run every appliance in our homes from washing machines to televisions. Alternating current in the US is 120 volts at 60Hz, which means that the current alternates or changes direction in the wire 60 times per second. Other countries use 50Hz as the standard. Both 50 and 60Hz are relatively low frequencies, but even 60Hz alternating current generates some level of electromagnetic radiation, meaning that some of the electricity escapes the wire and is transmitted into air. The higher the frequency of the electricity, the more electricity escapes the wire and into space. Thus, electromagnetic radiation can be described as 'electricity in the air'.

2. Amplitude modulation (AM) is a technique used in electronic communication, most

commonly for transmitting information via a radio carrier wave. AM works by varying the strength of the transmitted signal in relation to the information being sent. For example, changes in signal strength may be used to specify the sounds to be reproduced by aloudspeaker, or the light intensity of television pixels. Contrast this with frequency modulation, in which the frequency is varied, and phase modulation, in which the phase is varied in accordance to the modulating signal. frequency modulation (FM) is the encoding of information in a carrier wave by varying the instantaneous frequency of the wave. (Compare with amplitude modulation, in which the amplitude of the carrier wave varies, while the frequency remains constant.)