ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVES

GENERAL PHYSICS 2- Quarter 4

What’s Waving?
Electromagnetic Waves
•Used in many applications,
including radios, radar,
microwave oven cellphones, and
the wireless internet.
Electromagnetic Waves
• Electric and magnetic fields are always
perpendicular to one another and perpendicular
to the direction of motion
• EF and MF are in phase – zero at same points and
max at same points
• Travel as a transverse wave
• Waves of electric and magnetic fields are not
matter – can travel through empty space
Electromagnetic Waves
• Do not need matter to transfer energy.
• Are made by vibrating electric charges
and can travel through space by
transferring energy between vibrating
electric and magnetic fields.
How do moving charges create magnetic
fields?
• Any moving electric charge is surrounded by an electric field and
a magnetic field.
What happens when electric and magnetic
fields change?

•A changing magnetic field

creates a changing
electric field.
What happens when electric and magnetic
fields change?

• A changing magnetic field creates a changing electric

field.
• One example of this is a transformer which transfers
electric energy from one circuit to another circuit.
• In the main coil changing electric current produces a
changing magnetic field
• Which then creates a changing electric field in another
coil producing an electric current
• The reverse is also true.
Making Electromagnetic Waves
• When an electric charge vibrates, the electric field
around it changes creating a changing magnetic
field.
Making Electromagnetic Waves
• The magnetic and electric fields create each other
again and again.
Making Electromagnetic Waves
• An EM wave travels in all directions. The figure
only shows a wave traveling in one direction.
Making Electromagnetic Waves
• The electric and magnetic fields vibrate at right angles
to the direction the wave travels so it is a transverse
wave.
Properties of EM Waves
• All matter contains charged
particles that are always moving;
therefore, all objects emit EM
waves.
• The wavelengths become shorter as
the temperature of the material
increases.
What is the speed of EM waves?

•All EM waves travel 300,000

km/sec in space. (speed of light-
nature’s limit!)
What is the speed of EM waves?
• All EM waves travel Material Speed
300,000 km/sec in (km/s)
space. (speed of light- Vacuum 300,000
nature’s limit!) Air <300,000
• EM waves usually travel Water 226,000
slowest in solids and Glass 200,000
fastest in gases.
Diamond 124,000
What is the wavelength & frequency of an
EM wave?

• Wavelength= distance from crest to

crest.
• Frequency= number of wavelengths
that pass a given point in 1 s.
• As frequency increases, wavelength
becomes smaller.
Can a wave be a particle?
• In 1887, Heinrich Hertz discovered that
shining light on a metal caused electrons to
be ejected.
• Whether or not electrons were ejected
depended upon frequency not the
amplitude of the light! Remember energy
depends on amplitude.
Can a wave be a particle?
• Years later, Albert Einstein
explained Hertz’s discovery: EM
waves can behave as a particle
called a photon whose energy
depends on the frequency of the
waves.
Can a particle be a wave?

• Electrons fired at
two slits actually
form an
interference
pattern similar to
patterns made by
waves
Light
• Light is a form of electromagnetic
radiation.
• Speed of light = 3 x 108 m/s
• Light represents energy transfer from
the source to the observer.
Light
• Many phenomena depend on the
properties of light.
Seeing a TV or computer monitor
Blue sky, colors at sunset and sunrise
Images in mirrors
Eyeglasses and contacts
Rainbows
 The Nature of Light
• Before the beginning of the nineteenth century,
light was considered to be a stream of
particles.
• During the nineteenth and 20th century, other
In view of other developments in the 20th
century, light must be regarded as having a
dual nature.
 The Nature of Light
• Light behaves both as a wave
and as a particle.
• As a wave it produces
interference and diffraction. As a
particle it can be absorbed by a
single molecule. When a light
photon is absorbed its energy is
used in a various ways. It can
cause an electrical change.
The Electromagnetic Spectrum 26
What is the Electromagnetic Spectrum?

•The electromagnetic spectrum is

the complete spectrum (or
continuum) of all forms of
“light”
What is the Electromagnetic Spectrum?
• The electromagnetic spectrum consists of:
• radio waves • ultraviolet waves
• cell phone waves • x-ray waves
• microwaves • gamma waves
• radar waves
• infrared waves
• visible light waves
•Properties of electromagnetic
waves include speed, frequency
and wavelength
•Speed (s), frequency (f) and
wavelength (l) are related in
the formula:
•s = f x l
Relationship Between Wavelength &
Frequency
 All parts of the electromagnetic spectrum travel at
the same speed
 Wavelength and frequency have an indirect
relationship.
 This means that as one characteristic increases, the
other decreases
 In other words, as wavelength increases, frequency
decreases
Wavelength, Frequency, Energy

• Electromagnetic wave characteristics:

• short wavelengths have a high frequency
• long wavelengths have a low frequency

• Electromagnetic waves & Energy:

• high frequency waves have high energy
• low frequency waves have low energy
 Wavelength, Frequency, Energy

Fill in the table below:

wavelength frequency energy

long

high
 Wavelength & Energy

smaller wavelengths increasing frequency increasing energy

If you haven’t already, sketch this drawing into your

notes. Don’t worry so much about the actual
wavelengths, just get the general shape and where the
various forms of light (radio, infrared, x-ray, etc) exist.
 34

The Electromagnetic Spectrum

Radio waves
35
• Low energy waves with longest wavelengths
• Includes FM, AM, radar and TV waves
• Wavelengths of 1 m (10 -1 m) and longer
• Low frequency
• Used in many devices such as remote control items, cell
phones, wireless devices, etc.
 Microwaves
 Only radio waves are longer

 Wavelength 1 x 10-1 m to 1 x
10 - 4 m (1 m to 0.001 m)

 used for communication,

medicine and consumer use
(microwave ovens)
 • Invisible electromagnetic waves
Infrared waves
that are detected as heat

• Can be detected with special

devices such as night goggles

• Used in heat lamps

• Higher energy than microwaves

but lower than visible light
Visible Light • The portion of the electromagnetic
spectrum that human eyes can
detect

• ROY G BIV (red, orange, yellow,

green, blue, indigo, violet)

• Which color has the lowest

frequency?
• red has the lowest frequency
• violet the highest
Ultraviolet waves
• Higher energy than
light waves
• Can cause skin cancer
and blindness in
humans
• Used in tanning beds
and sterilizing
equipment
X-Rays
• High energy waves

• Used in medicine,
industry and
astronomy

• Can cause cancer

Gamma rays
• Highest energy

• Blocked from Earth’s

surface by
atmosphere