Electromagnetic Spectrum

Information Bank

Aclan, Mae Kylla Joy

Casao, Daphne Yvonne
Montalbo, Sophia Denise
Marasigan, John Aaron
Pagsinohin, Jose Andrei

I. Forms of EM Waves

Radio Waves
 Radio waves have the longest wavelengths in the electromagnetic spectrum. They range
from the length of a football 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 separate spark gap on a receiving antenna. When waves created by the
sparks of the coil transmitter were picked up by the receiving antenna, sparks would
jump its gap as well. Hertz showed in his experiments that these signals possessed all
the properties of electromagnetic waves.
Microwaves
 Microwaves are a type of electromagnetic radiation, as are radio waves, ultraviolet
radiation, X-rays and gamma-rays. Microwaves have a range of applications, including
communications, radar and, perhaps best known by most people, cooking.
Infrared
 Infrared radiation (IR), or infrared light, is a type of radiant energy that's invisible to
human eyes but that we can feel as heat. All objects in the universe emit some level of
IR radiation, but two of the most obvious sources are the sun and fire.
Visible light

Ultraviolet
 Ultraviolet light is a type of electromagnetic radiation that makes black-light posters glow,
and is responsible for summer tans — and sunburns. However, too much exposure to
UV radiation is damaging to living tissue.
X-rays
 X-rays are types of electromagnetic radiation probably most well-known for their ability to
see through a person's skin and reveal images of the bones beneath it. Advances in
technology have led to more powerful and focused X-ray beams as well as ever greater
applications of these light waves, from imaging teensy biological cells and structural
components of materials like cement to killing cancer cells.

Gamma Rays
 Gamma rays have the smallest wavelengths and the most energy of any wave in the
electromagnetic spectrum. They are produced by the hottest and most energetic objects
in the universe, such as neutron stars and pulsars, supernova explosions, and regions
around black holes. On Earth, gamma waves are generated by nuclear explosions,
lightning, and the less dramatic activity of radioactive decay.

II. Wavelength
 (Arranged from shortest to longest wavelengths)

Electromagnetic Spectrum Wavelength

Gamma Ray < 0.02 nm

X-ray 0.01 nm – 10 nm

Ultraviolet 10 nm – 400 nm

Visible light 390 nm – 750 nm

Infrared 750 nm – 1 mm

Microwave 1 mm – 1 m

Radio 1 m – 100 km

III. Wave Illustration

IV. Frequency
 (Arranged from lowest to highest frequency)

Electromagnetic Spectrum Frequency

Gamma Ray > 15 EHz

X-ray 30 EHz – 30 PHz

Ultraviolet 30 PHz – 750 THz

Visible light 770 THz – 400 THz

Infrared 400 THz – 300 GHz

Microwave 300 GHz – 300 MHz

Radio 300 MHz – 3 kHz

V. Energy

(Arranged from lowest to highest energy)

 Electromagnetic Spectrum Photon Energy

Gamma Ray > 62.1 keV

X-ray 124 keV – 124 eV

Ultraviolet 124 eV – 3 eV

Visible light 3.2 eV – 1.7 eV

Infrared 1.7 eV – 1.24 meV

Microwave 1.24 meV – 1.24 µeV

Radio 1.24 µeV – 12.4 feV

VI. Approximate size

VII. Sample objects

Radio Waves
 AM broadcast radio, FM Broadcast radio, over the air Television, Police radios , fire
departments radios, Taxi cab radios, Cell phones for voice and data, WiFi, Bluetooth,
Microwave ovens, Weather Radar, Aircraft Radar, Satellites, Cable TV systems use
them, but they aren't waves in space, but in teh cable.
Microwaves
 Mobile phones use microwaves, as they can be generated by a small antenna, which
means that the phone doesn't need to be very big. Wi-Fi also uses microwaves.
 Microwaves are also used by fixed traffic speed cameras, and for radar, which is used
by aircraft, ships and weather forecasters. The most common type of radar works by
sending out bursts of microwaves, detecting the "echoes" coming back from the objects
they hit, and using the time it takes for the echoes to come back to work out how far
away the object is.
Infrared
 Household appliances such as heat lamps and toasters use IR radiation to transmit heat,
as do industrial heaters such as those used for drying and curing materials.
 Incandescent bulbs convert only about 10 percent of their electrical energy input into
visible light energy, while the other 90 percent is converted to infrared radiation,
according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
Ultraviolet
 Sunlight is the greatest source of UV radiation. Man-made ultraviolet sources include
several types of UV lamps, arc welding, and mercury vapor lamps.
Visible light

X-rays
 The most familiar use of x-rays is checking for fractures (broken bones), but x-rays are
also used in other ways. For example, chest x-rays can spot pneumonia. Mammograms
use x-rays to look for breast cancer.
Gamma Rays
 Radioactive stuff. A gamma ray is a type of ionizing radiation, like alpha and beta
radiation. Unlike alpha and beta radiation, which are particles that fly out of atoms of
radioactive material as it decays, gamma radiation is made up of Photons, which are
more fundamental than alpha and beta particles. Gamma radiation will pass right
through you because it's made up of really tiny things, whereas alpha and beta particles
will bounce off you or only penetrate so far.
VIII. Hazards

Radio Waves
 Large doses of radio waves are believed to cause cancer, leukemia and other disorders.
Some people claim that the very low frequency field from overhead power cables near
their homes has affected their health, although this has not been reliably proven.
Microwaves
 Microwave radiation can heat body tissue the same way it heats food. Exposure to high
levels of microwaves can cause a painful burn. Two areas of the body, the eyes and the
testes, are particularly vulnerable to RF heating because there is relatively little blood
flow in them to carry away excess heat. Additionally, the lens of the eye is particularly
sensitive to intense heat, and exposure to high levels of microwaves can cause
cataracts. But these types of injuries – burns and cataracts – can only be caused by
exposure to large amounts of microwave radiation.
Infrared
 Infrared technology is critical in many science, business and military contexts. It makes
various devices possible and useful, including night vision goggles, lasers, thermo
graphic cameras, communications devices and weather satellites. Infrared waves are
incredibly versatile, but they can also be dangerous.
 (EYE DAMAGE) People who work in industries which expose them to infrared radiation
for long periods of time may experience eye damage. The human eye is sensitive to all
of the radiation in the electromagnetic spectrum, especially if that radiation is at very
high levels of intensity.
 (SKIN DAMAGE AND LASERS) Large doses of infrared waves can also damage skin
and tissues. Infrared radiation waves are the same as heat waves. Laser beams are
composed of highly amplified electromagnetic radiation (visible light, microwaves,
infrared and others).
  (GREENHOUSE EFFECT) Infrared waves are involved in the greenhouse effect. The
earth's surface and the clouds above it absorb radiation from the sun's rays and re-emit
it as infrared radiation back out into the atmosphere. When the air above the earth's
surface has a high concentration of water vapor, as well as elements such as sulfur and
nitrogen and chemicals such as chlorofluorocarbons, the infrared radiation becomes
trapped near the ground. This causes elevated temperatures and changes in weather
patterns that can be harmful to people and animals.

Visible light
 Intense visible light particularly approaching UV or 'blue light' wavelengths, passes
through the cornea and lens and can dazzle and, in extreme cases, damage the network
of optically sensitive nerves on the retina. Wavelengths of visible light approaching the
infrared have slightly different effects but can produce similar symptoms. Effects depend
on the duration and intensity and to some extent upon the individual's natural reflex
action to close the eye and exclude the incident light. Normally this dazzling does not
produce a long-term effect but in welders it is thought to progressively reduce their ability
to adapt to extreme light conditions.

Ultraviolet
 Ultraviolet (UV) radiation is a known cause of skin cancer, skin ageing, eye damage, and
may affect the immune system.
 People who work outdoors are the most likely of all workers to suffer health damage
from exposure to UV radiation. Other people may be exposed to UV radiation at work
from non-solar sources such as arc welding, the curing of paints, inks etc. and the
disinfection of equipment in hospitals and laboratories amongst others.
X-rays
 X-rays can cause mutations in our DNA and, therefore, might lead to cancer later in life.
For this reason, X-rays are classified as a carcinogen Trusted Source by both the World
Health Organization (WHO) and the United States government. However, the benefits of
X-ray technology far outweigh the potential negative consequences of using them.
Gamma Rays
 The extremely high energy of gamma rays allows them to penetrate just about anything.
They can even pass through bones and teeth. This makes gamma rays very dangerous.
They can destroy living cells, produce gene mutations, and cause cancer.
 Since gamma rays penetrate more deeply through the body than alpha or beta particles,
all tissues and organs can be damaged by sources outside of the body.