•Properties of Electromagnetic Waves

•Applications of Electromagnetic Waves

• Waves that do not require medium to
propagate
• They can travel through empty space
• Produced by oscillating electric charges,
with electric field and magnetic field
vibrating perpendicularly to each other and
to the direction of wave propagation.
• Electromagnetic waves are transverse
waves
James Clerk Maxwell Heinrich Hertz
predicted the existence of first to observe the existence of
electromagnetic waves EM waves (other than light)
• Electromagnetic waves follow the basic
wave equation that relates speed of
propagation, frequency, and wavelength.
v = λf

• In a vacuum or air, all electromagnetic

waves travel at a common speed.
8
3 x 10 m/s
• The continuous range of electromagnetic
waves arranged in order of frequency or
wavelength.
• The names assigned to the regions of the
EM spectrum are only for convenience in
locating the position of the wave in the
spectrum.
-1 4
• The longest of all electromagnetic waves
-1 4
• Ranging from 10 m to 10 m
• The frequency ranges from 30 kHz to
3000 MHz
Radio waves were
discovered by Heinrich
Hertz in 1887.
Uses of Radio Waves
Type of
Frequency Range Common Applications
Frequency
Long Distance Communication and
Low Frequency 30 – 300 kHz
Navigation
Medium 300 – 3000
AM Radio Broadcasting
Frequency kHz
Shortwave broadcasting
Tags for Use in Building Access
High Frequency 3 – 30 MHz
Public Transportation
Electronic Payment Systems
Uses of Radio Waves
Type of
Frequency Range Common Applications
Frequency
FM Radio Broadcasting
Very High
30 – 300 MHz Ground-to-Aircraft Communication
Frequency
Aircraft-to-Aircraft Communication
Police Radio Communication
Military Aircraft
Ultra-High 300 – 3000
Television Transmission
Frequency MHz
Modern Mobile Phones
Global Positioning System
Uses of Radio Waves
Weather Forecasting Military Surveillance
Uses of Radio Waves
Automatic Door RFID
Uses of Radio Waves
Universal Product Code MRI
Uses of Radio Waves
• Relatively shorter compared to radio waves
-3 -1
• Ranging from 10 m to 10 m
• The frequency ranges from 300 MHz to
300 GHz
James Clerk Maxwell is
credited for discovering
microwaves in 1864.
Uses of Microwaves
• Microwaves are considered high-frequency
radio waves and are mainly used for
communication, especially from 2 GHz to
40 GHz.
• They were mostly used for long-distance
telephone calls before the introduction of
optical fibers.
Uses of Microwaves
• They are also used to send signals for
cable television as well as video or audio
feeds from production vans to broadcast
stations.
Uses of Microwaves
• Microwaves are used in remote sensing
for disaster management and mapping.
• Microwaves are highly used in the medical
field.
Satellite Communication
RADAR- Radio Detection and Ranging
• Shorter wavelength
microwaves are used in
radar-remote sensing
• Radars are used for
tracking the movement
of cars, aircraft, water
craft and space craft
Cellular Communication
Uses of Microwaves
• A microwave oven is a common kitchen
appliance. It uses 2.45 GHz microwaves
to cook food by transferring energy to the
water molecules in the food.
• Infrared literally means “below red”.
• Infrared Radiations (IR) have a lower
frequency than the red part of the visible
light.
11
• Their frequencies ranges from 3 x 10 Hz
14
to 4 x 10 Hz
-7 -3
• Ranging from 7.5 x 10 m to 10 m
• We do not see infrared radiation but we
feel it as heat.
• People, places, objects and animals give
off infrared radiation proportional to their
temperature.
• Higher temperatures produce shorter
infrared rays.
Sir William Herschel, a
British astronomer,
discovered these rays in
1800.
Uses of Infrared
• Infrared rays are used in:
 remote control for television sets
Uses of Infrared
• Infrared rays are used in:
 burglar alarm systems
Uses of Infrared
• Infrared rays are used in:
 night vision cameras
Uses of Infrared
• Infrared rays are used in:
 certain types of thermometers
Uses of Infrared
• Most computers, laptops, and printers are
equipped with infrared data association
ports that enable us to transfer and print
data without connecting them with cable.
Uses of Infrared
• Physiotherapist use heat lamps to heal
sports injuries.
• Medical infrared imaging is used for
diagnosis and prognosis in areas like
oncology, rheumatology, sports medicine,
and orthopedics.
• The only ones seen by our naked eye.
14
• Their frequencies ranges from 4 x 10 Hz
14
to 8 x 10 Hz
-7 -7
• Ranging from 4 x 10 m to 8 x 10 m
• The sequence of colors of visible light
from longest to shortest may be
remembered by the acronym ROYCBIV.
Visible Light
COLOR WAVELENGTH
Red 622-700 nm
Orange 597-622 nm
Yellow 577-597nm
Green 492-577 nm
Blue 455-492nm
Violet 390-455nm
Visible Light
Uses of Visible Light
• Visible light has many applications in our
day-to-day life:
 it helps us see objects.
Uses of Visible Light
• Visible light has many applications in our
day-to-day life:
 it is also used in traffic lights.
Uses of Visible Light
• Visible light has many applications in our
day-to-day life:
 it is also used in commercial displays.
Uses of Visible Light
• Visible light has many applications in our
day-to-day life:
 it is also used in car headlights.
Uses of Visible Light
• Visible light has many applications in our
day-to-day life:
 every device that has viewable screen
makes use of visible light.
Uses of Visible Light
• Visible light is also used by plants in
photosynthesis.
Uses of Visible Light
• The optical fibers that replaced telephone
wires use visible light to transmit signals
at high speed and/or long distances.
Uses of Visible Light
• One source of visible light is LASER
• Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission
of Radiation
Uses of Visible Light
• Laser light is used in many medical
procedures: optical imaging, surgery,
endoscopy.
• The region next to visible light.
14
• Their frequencies ranges from 8 x 10 Hz
17
to 10 Hz
-10 -7
• Ranging from 6 x 10 m to 4 x 10 m
• Ultraviolet radiation is more popularly
known as UV.
Johann Wilhelm Ritter, a
German physicist,
discovered ultraviolet.
• There are three kinds of UV:
 UVA – accounts for 95% of the solar
UV reaching the sun.

it has a wavelength range of

315 nm to 400 nm
• There are three kinds of UV:
 UVB – filtered by the ozone in the
atmosphere

it has a wavelength range of

280 nm to 314 nm
• There are three kinds of UV:
 UVC – is almost completely absorbed
by the atmosphere and does not
reach the Earth’s surface

it has a wavelength range of

279 nm to 60 nm
• A major source of ultraviolet rays is the
sun.
• Exposure to UV rays causes your skin to
produce vitamin D
• Too much exposure to UV rays can cause
skin cancer.
• Use sunblock to protect against UV rays.
Uses of Ultraviolet
• UV lights, popularly known as black light
are used in:
 detecting forged bank notes.
Uses of Ultraviolet
• UV lights, popularly known as black light
are used in:
 forensic investigations at crime scenes
Uses of Ultraviolet
• UV lights, popularly known as black light
are used in:
 theaters to produce the glow in the
dark effect
Uses of Ultraviolet
• UV lights, popularly known as black light
are used in:
 sterilizing medical equipment
• The letter X is normally used to represent
an unknown quantity.
-12 -8
• Ranging from 10 m to 10 m

• X-rays are use produced by the sun or

other stars. They are also produced when
accelerated electrons hit a metal.
Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen,
a German physicist
discovered X-rays.
Uses of X-Rays
• X-rays are used to:
 detect abnormalities in the skeletal
system
Uses of X-Rays
• X-rays are used to:
 dental imaging
Uses of X-Rays
• X-rays are used to:
 check the passengers luggage in an
airport
• Gamma rays are highly penetrating because
of their very short wavelengths.
-14 -12
• Ranging from 10 m to 10 m

• Astronomical objects are sources of

gamma rays.
Paul Villard, a French
chemist and physicist, is
recognized as having
discovered gamma rays in
1900.
• Exploding nuclear weapons emit gamma
rays.
Uses of Gamma Rays
• Gamma rays are used to:
 detect cracks in metals
 sterilize equipment and commercial
products
Uses of Gamma Rays
• Food irradiation with gamma rays kills
bacteria, insects, and parasites that can
cause foodborne disease.
• In agriculture, gamma radiation helps
breed new seeds varieties with higher
yields.
Uses of Gamma Rays
• Gamma rays are used to destroy cancer
cells in a process called radiotherapy.

External Beam
Radiotherapy
Uses of Gamma Rays
• Gamma rays are used to destroy cancer
cells in a process called radiotherapy.

Brachytherapy
• Electromagnetic (EM) waves or
electromagnetic radiations are produced by
accelerating charges.
• Electromagnetic waves are transverse
waves.
• They can travel in a vacuum and in a
material medium.
 8
• They have a common speed of 3 x 10 m/s
• The electromagnetic spectrum is the
arrangement of EM waves in order of
decreasing wavelength or increasing
frequency.
• All EM waves follow the basic wave
equation.
• The different types of EM waves are:
 radio waves
 microwaves
 infrared
 visible light
 ultraviolet
 x-rays
 gamma rays