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Jeremy Callister

A wave is the flow of something, going back and forth. A wave can have lots of

different lengths. The longest wave is a radio wave. It can be as long as a football field, and as

short as a football. We use this in radios because it is intense, and it can go longer distances. It is

easier to send a signal along a radio wave than a gamma wave (The Electromagnetic Spectrum).

Radio waves can also be received from space. We use radio telescopes to look at things very far

away, and that helps us to see what something is made of (Hodges).

The next largest wave is the microwave. This can be measured in centimeters. The

longer ones are used to heat food. Microwaves are good for sending information because they

can penetrate smog and clouds. These are used for the Doppler radar to detect weather conditions

(The Electromagnetic Spectrum). We also use microwaves to look at the earth from space.

The next wave type (in terms of length) is infrared. Infrared waves can be used to

measure heat output. All heated things have a different level of infrared output. TV remotes use

short infrared waves to communicate with the TV. We use an infrared sensor to see things in the

infrared wavelength. When you look at something using infrared, the hot things are red and

orange colors, while the colder things are blues and greens. Really hot things are represented by

white spots. Vampire bats use infrared sensing to see where the blood is closest to the surface.

We can use infrared vision to see things in the dark (The ES).

The next wavelength is the visible light spectrum. We see light a range of colors of

things. The color depends on the wave length of the wave. Red has the longest wave, and violet

has the shortest wave. Some photos that are taken of the earth and other planets are in false-

color. This happens when the picture is taken by taking in the intensity of the light reflecting off

of the object, and not what the actual color is. Most of the common photos of Jupiter are in false-

color (The ES).


Jeremy Callister

The last three waves are ultraviolet, x-rays, and gamma waves. The shorter the

wavelength, the more intense. The ultraviolet wave causes people to get sunburns. X-rays can

see through the skin of a person, and look at the skeletal structure. Gamma rays are so powerful,

that they can kill living cells. These are used when trying to kill cancerous cells. Also, it is sent

out my nuclear explosions, so nukes can cause even more damage to the environment. Gamma

rays are so powerful that they can go through a radio telescope. Gamma ray bursts are very

powerful, and happen outside of our galaxy, but very often. This can help us to learn how the

universe is growing and changing (The ES).

I think that this relates to me in different ways. The most basic is that I see light. I am

burned by the sun all the time. I cook a lot of my food in a microwave. My best listening device

is a radio. But there can be some other things as well. I am very interested in what it is like out in

the rest of the universe. I want to know all that there is to know, and the things that we can learn

from these waves are related to that. I want to be the one who figures out how all these things fit

together. I want to be the weaver of the great tapestry of discovery during this new century. Now,

I don’t want anyone to think I am some selfish person that wants all this glory. I really don’t. I

just want to learn all that I can, and be the one that figures all these things out. I also want to find

ways that will make all this knowledge help everyone in this world.

I think that something that we could do to help this is to make new things. If we can

make a new way to trap gamma rays, and to read them that would really help things. We need to

make a super dense material that is so strong that nothing can get through it. All we have to do is

make it. We also need to have a better understanding of gamma rays. There is still so much to

learn about waves, especially gamma radiation waves. If we could just discover a way that we

could understand the most basic components, perhaps we could learn something of the universe.
Jeremy Callister

Another possibility is that we could do with gamma rays the same things that we did with radio

and microwaves. Perhaps we can find a way to put a message into a gamma ray, and send it out.

If there is any possibility of extra-terrestrials, then I bet that this will be the best way to make

contact, since everything else takes too long to go the distances that would be required to reach

to where any other species would live.

Another thing that I would really like to know is if there is any possibility of an even

shorter wave, one so short that we can’t even detect it with any of the equipment that we have

now. Is there any possibility that we are way beyond our level of comprehension? We are trying

to figure out how the universe came to be. Is it even possible for us to do that?
Jeremy Callister

Works Cited

"The Electromagnetic Spectrum." National Aeronautics and Space Administration. 27 Mar 2007. NASA. 5 Nov

2007 <http://science.hq.nasa.gov/kids/imagers/ems/radio.html>.

Hodges, Dylan. "Radio Waves." L2K. Legacy High School, Broomfield. 30 Oct 2007.

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