Though the sciences generally classify EM waves into seven basic types, all are manifestations of the same phenomenon.
- Radio Waves: Instant Communication.
- Microwaves: Data and Heat.
- Infrared Waves: Invisible Heat.
- Visible Light Rays.
- Ultraviolet Waves: Energetic Light.
- X-rays: Penetrating Radiation.
- Gamma Rays: Nuclear Energy.
Radio waves, microwaves, infrared and visible light can all be used for communication.
- Radio waves – are used to transmit television and radio programs.
- Microwaves – are used to transmit satellite television and for mobile phones.
- Infrared – is used to transmit information from remote controls.
Microwaves are less energetic electromagnetic waves which are used in radar system for aircraft navigation.
Gamma rays have the highest energies, the shortest wavelengths, and the highest frequencies. Radio waves, on the other hand, have the lowest energies, longest wavelengths, and lowest frequencies of any type of EM radiation.
Amplitude modulation is used in a variety of applications. Broadcast transmissions: AM is still widely used for broadcasting on the long, medium and short wave bands. It is simple to demodulate and this means that radio receivers capable of demodulating amplitude modulation are cheap and simple to manufacture.
Visible light waves are the only electromagnetic waves we can see. We see these waves as the colors of the rainbow. Each color has a different wavelength. Red has the longest wavelength and violet has the shortest wavelength.
Dangers of Radio Waves
Most radio waves fall into the invisible spectrum. It has been said that large doses of radio waves can cause cancer, leukemia as well as other disorders. Some people have also claimed that overhead power cables near their homes which causes a very low-frequency field also can harm their health.They all have things in common. In a vacuum, they all travel at the same speed - the speed of light - which is 3 × 108 m/s. They are all transverse waves, with the oscillations being electric and magnetic fields. Like all waves, they can be reflected, refracted and diffracted.
Radio waves do more than just bring music to your radio. They also carry signals for your television and cellular phones. The antennae on your television set receive the signal, in the form of electromagnetic waves, that is broadcasted from the television station. It is displayed on your television screen.
Radio waves are a type of electromagnetic radiation best-known for their use in communication technologies, such as television, mobile phones and radios. These devices receive radio waves and convert them to mechanical vibrations in the speaker to create sound waves.
Cellular (cell) phones operate with radio frequencies, a form of electromagnetic energy located on the electromagnetic spectrum between FM radio waves and the waves used in microwave ovens, radar, and satellite stations. Cell phones do not emit ionizing radiation, the type that damages DNA.
For example, nuclear magnetic resonance imaging relies on the detection of faint radio signals generated by protons precessing in a magnetic field. And radio astronomers rely on cooled amplifiers to pick up the faintest radio signals in the cosmos.
If we know either the frequency or wavelength of a wave, we can divide by v or λ respectively, to find the other variable. Because we know the frequency of the ELF waves we can determine the wavelength by dividing c by v. The detection of ELF waves is pretty straightforward.
How a cathode-ray tube (CRT) TV works. An antenna (aerial) on your roof picks up radio waves from the transmitter. The incoming signal feeds into the antenna socket on the back of the TV. The incoming signal is carrying picture and sound for more than one station (program).
Thin amounts of plastic wrap, wax paper, cotton and rubber are not likely to interfere with radio waves. However, aluminum foil, and other electrically conductive metals such as copper, can reflect and absorb the radio waves and consequently interferes with their transmission.
The most common use of infrared in everyday life is remote controls. These work by sending pulses of infrared that spell out a message to an electronic device. This device could be a television, blu-ray player, or even a computer. Infrared can be used in a similar way for communication.
1. Mechanical waves:
| Longitudinal waves | Transverse waves |
|---|
| Examples are sound waves, earthquake P waves, vibrations in gas, internal water waves, ultrasounds etc | Examples of transverse waves are light waves, magnetic waves, surface waves, ultramagnetic waves etc |
The different types of electromagnetic radiation shown in the electromagnetic spectrum consists of radio waves, microwaves, infrared waves, visible light, ultraviolet radiation, X-rays, and gamma rays. The part of the electromagnetic spectrum that we are able to see is the visible light spectrum.
Different types of waves have a
different set of characteristics. Based on the orientation of particle motion and direction of energy, there are three categories: Mechanical
waves. Electromagnetic
waves.
Electromagnetic Wave
- Microwaves.
- X-ray.
- Radio waves.
- Ultraviolet waves.
Electromagnetic waves are created by the vibration of an electric charge. This vibration creates a wave which has both an electric and a magnetic component. An electromagnetic wave transports its energy through a vacuum at a speed of 3.00 x 108 m/s (a speed value commonly represented by the symbol c).
Electromagnetic waves of different frequency are called by different names since they have different sources and effects on matter. In order of increasing frequency and decreasing wavelength these are: radio waves, microwaves, infrared radiation, visible light, ultraviolet radiation, X-rays and gamma rays.
Electromagnetic waves are ubiquitous in nature (i.e., light) and used in modern technology—AM and FM radio, cordless and cellular phones, garage door openers, wireless networks, radar, microwave ovens, etc. These and many more such devices use electromagnetic waves to transmit data and signals.
Astronomers use all kinds of telescopes—some on Earth, some in space—to glean information about distant objects from the electromagnetic radiation they give off.
- Radio waves.
- Microwaves.
- Infrared.
- Visible light.
- Ultraviolet light.
- X rays.
- Gamma rays.
Electromagnetic waves are waves which can travel through the vacuum of outer space. This vibration creates a wave which has both an electric and a magnetic component. An electromagnetic wave transports its energy through a vacuum at a speed of 3.00 x 108 m/s (a speed value commonly represented by the symbol c).
The three properties of electromagnetic waves are; they travel at the speed of light, they include ultraviolet waves, and they can transfer energy through empty space.
It depends on their properties. Like other waves, electromagnetic waves have properties of speed, wavelength, and frequency.
Radio waves, on the other hand, have the lowest energies, longest wavelengths, and lowest frequencies of any type of EM radiation. In order from highest to lowest energy, the sections of the EM spectrum are named: gamma rays, X-rays, ultraviolet radiation, visible light, infrared radiation, and radio waves.
Symptoms of EMF exposure
- sleep disturbances, including insomnia.
- headache.
- depression and depressive symptoms.
- tiredness and fatigue.
- dysesthesia (a painful, often itchy sensation)
- lack of concentration.
- changes in memory.
- dizziness.
Infrared radiation (IR), sometimes referred to simply as infrared, is a region of the electromagnetic radiation spectrum where wavelengths range from about 700 nanometers (nm) to 1 millimeter (mm). Infrared waves are longer than those of visible light, but shorter than those of radio waves.
List 5 examples of electromagnetic radiation. Visible light, X rays, ultraviolet, infrared light, microwaves, and radio waves.
Examples are radio waves, microwaves, infrared radiation, visible light – (all colors of the spectrum that we see), ultraviolet light, X-rays and gamma radiation.
Actually, radio waves can penetrate water. What limits transmission is conduction, and sea water is very conductive, and largely, in the case of sea water, absorption. If the oceans were of pure water, likely far more radio energy would travel through.
