Revision requirements for the Test on the Waves Section of the Year 9 Syllabus

THE ELECTROMAGNETIC SPECTRUM

Electromagnetic radiations are disturbances in an electric field. They travel as waves and move energy
from one place to another. They can all travel through a vacuum and do so at the same speed. The waves
cover a continuous range of wavelengths called the electromagnetic spectrum. The uses and haards of
the radiations in different parts of the electromagnetic spectrum depend on their wavelength and
frequency.
!oys should be able to evaluate the possible haards associated with the use of different types of
electromagnetic radiation and to evaluate methods to reduce e"posure to different types of
electromagnetic radiation.
The electromagnetic spectrum is continuous but the wavelengths within it can be grouped into types of
increasing wavelength and decreasing frequency#
$ gamma rays% &'rays% ultraviolet rays% visible light% infra red rays% microwaves and radio waves.

(ifferent wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation are reflected% absorbed or transmitted differently by
different substances and types of surface. When radiation is absorbed the energy it carries ma)es the
substance which absorbs it hotter and may create an alternating current with the same frequency as the
radiation itself.
(ifferent wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation have different effects on living cells. Some radiations
mostly pass through soft tissue without being absorbed% some produce heat% some may cause cancerous
changes and some may )ill cells. These effects depend on the type of radiation and the sie of the dose.
The uses and the haards associated with the use of each type of radiation in the electromagnetic
spectrum.
Radio waves% microwaves% infra red and visible light can be used for communication. *icrowaves can
pass through the Earth+s atmosphere and are used to send information to and from satellites and within
mobile phone networ)s. ,nfra red and visible light can be used to send signals along optical fibres and so
travel in curved paths.
OSCILLATIONS
-n oscillation is a vibration% i.e. a movement bac) and forth .or up and down etc/ about a fi"ed .or rest%
or equilibrium% or mean/ point.
Amplitude is defined as the ma"imum displacement of an oscillating particle from the mean rest position
Period is the time it ta)es for a vibrating particle to complete on oscillation. Symbol T% unit
second .s/
0requency (symbol f u!it H"# is the number of oscillations per second. 0or e"ample% *ains
frequency is 12 3% and a grandfather cloc) has a pendulum that oscillates at 4 3 .which also
means it has a period of 4 second too/
What are waves5 .Waves transfer energy from a source to other places without any matter being
transferred and are a series of oscillations/
4
4
f
T
T
f
=
=
Tr$!s%erse &$%e Motio! .,n transverse waves the oscillations are at right angles to the direction in
which the wave is travelling. -ll e'm waves are transverse/
Lo!'itudi!$l &$%e Motio! .,n longitudinal waves the oscillations are bac) and forth along the
direction that the wave is travelling. Sound .and ultrasound/ are longitudinal waves./
RE(LECTION
You should understand and be able to use the terms pl$!e mirror% i!)ide!t ray%
refle)ted ray% angle of incidence and angle of reflection.
The !orm$l is a construction'line perpendicular to the reflecting surface at the
point of incidence.
The angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection.
6ight% sound and ultrasound waves can be reflected .as above/.
RE(RACTION
Waves travelling across the surface of water can also be refr$)ted. The change in the speed of water
waves when they cross the boundary between two different depths causes a change in their direction
.refraction/% unless the direction of travel of the waves is along a normal.
Rays of light change direction .are refracted/ when they cross the boundary between one transparent
substance and another% unless they meet the boundary at right angles .along a normal/.
Sounds are also refracted% i.e. their direction is changed when they cross the boundary between two
different substances at an angle other than a right angle.
This behaviour of waves suggests that light and sound#
also travel as waves
*I((RACTION
When a wave moves through a gap% or past an obstacle% it spreads out from the edges. This is called
diffraction. Electromagnetic radiation and sound are also diffracted which supports the idea that they
travel as waves. !ecause of diffraction#
7 sounds can sometimes be heard in the shadow of buildings8
7 radio signals can sometimes be received in the shadow of hills.
Waves having a longer wavelength are more strongly diffracted.
You should )now that waves
can be represented by r$ys or
by +$%efro!ts.
Wavefronts can help us
e"plain why there is a change
in direction when there is a
change in speed.
and are refracted because they travel at different speeds in different substances
.media/.
Waves can be
represented using ray
diagrams. Rays must
be drawn with a
pencil and ruler and
must have arrows to
represent the
direction in which the
wave is travelling.
The Electromagnetic Spectrum
Electromagnetic radiation is all around you. Your senses can only detect visible
light, but there are other, invisible radiations passing through you and around
you right now. They all travel at 300 million m/s the speed o! light, and all o! them
can be re!lected and re!racted by suitable ob"ects.
#ne type is infra-red $%R&, which is emitted by any hot ob"ect, including you. Electric
bar !ires produce %R radiation to 'eep you warm( grills, ovens and coo'ers produce it
to heat !ood. Whenever an ob"ect absorbs any type o! radiation, the ob"ect is heated,
and we use this in in!ra)red grills. %n!ra)red is also used by remote controls !or T*s
and *+Rs.
Microwaves also heat substances when they are absorbed, but this only
wor's well !or certain substances such as water and !ats. This is because
water molecules and !at molecules absorb microwave !re,uencies
particularly well, and the energy they absorb ends up as 'inetic energy
when they vibrate in other words, heat. This is why microwaves can be dangerous, because we are
mainly made o! water and !ats. -icrowaves can also cause .cataracts/, a clouding o! the cornea in the
eye. -icrowaves coo' things !rom the inside, whereas .normal/ coo'ing involves heating the outside o!
the !ood.
-icrowaves are also used !or radar, and by mobile phones. 0olding a microwave transmitter to the side
o! your head !or long periods can1t be a good idea2
-icrowaves will induce currents in metals, which is why we must not use metal containers to heat !ood in
microwave ovens the metal will get very hot, and may also give o!! spar's and wrec' the oven. 0aving said that,
some !oods come in special containers with metal !oil pieces especially to ma'e use o! this e!!ect and help to coo'
the !ood. +an you thin' o! an e3ample4
*isible light is, obviously, used !or seeing things. We can re!ract it using lenses, and
ma'e images in cameras and in our eyes. 5ight is not only used !or seeing but can also be
sent along optical !ibres, !or e3ample, in endoscopes used by doctors to see inside
patients6 bodies.
When light travels down an optical !ibre, all the light may stay inside the !ibre until it
emerges !rom the other end. This is because light travels down optical !ibres by repeated total internal re!lection.
-ore in!ormation can be carried using optical !ibres than by sending electrical signals through cables o!
the same diameter. There is also less wea'ening o! the signal in optical !ibres.
Radio waves are used to transmit radio and T* programmes between di!!erent points on the Earth6s
sur!ace. 5onger wavelength radio waves are re!lected !rom an electrically charged layer in the Earth6s
upper atmosphere, called the ionosphere. This enables them to be sent between distant points despite
the curvature o! the Earth6s sur!ace.
Ultraviolet radiation is used in sunbeds. 7pecial coatings that absorb ultraviolet radiation and emit the
energy as light are used in !luorescent lamps and security coding. 8ltra violet radiation can pass through s'in to
deeper tissues. The dar'er the s'in, the more ultra violet it absorbs and the less reaches into deeper tissues(
9)radiation is used to produce shadow pictures o! materials which 9) rays do not easily pass through including
bones and metals. :amma radiation is used to 'ill harm!ul bacteria in !ood, sterilise surgical instruments, and 'ill
cancer cells. 9)radiation and gamma radiation mostly pass through so!t tissues, but some is absorbed by the cells.
0igh doses o! ultra violet radiation, 9)radiation and gamma radiation can 'ill normal cells.
5ower doses o! these types o! radiation can cause normal cells to become cancerous.
;. <ame all the sources o! in!ra)red radiation mentioned on this sheet. Write down at least two other sources
o! in!ra)red radiation
=. %n!ra)red radiation is absorbed by our s'in and !elt as heat. 8se the ideas o! molecules vibrating and o!
absorption to e3plain how this happens.
3. %n!ra)red has a higher !re,uency than microwave radiation, so it trans!ers more energy. Yet microwaves
coo' !ood !aster why should this be4
>. Why should we not use metal containers in microwave ovens4
?. What are the e!!ects o! di!!erent doses o! 8*, 9)rays and gamma rays on living cells4
Year @ Waves
A wave is something which trans!ers energy !rom one place to another without trans!erring any
matter. There are two types o! wave transverse and longitudinal. %n transverse waves, the
vibrations are perpendicular to the direction o! energy trans!er. Water waves and light waves
are transverse.
%n longitudinal waves, the vibrations are parallel to the direction o! energy trans!er. 7ound
waves are longitudinal.
All waves can be described in terms o! their wavelength $the distance between two ad"acent
pea's or troughs&, and their !re,uency $the number o! waves passing a point each second&.
The Electromagnetic 7pectrum
5ight is an electromagnetic wave, and !orms part o! the electromagnetic spectrum. #ther waves
in the spectrum are $starting with the longest wavelength/lowest !re,uency&B
Radio( -icro( %n!ra)red( 5ight( 8ltra)violet( 9)ray( :amma
All electromagnetic waves are transverse. They are all able to travel through a vacuum. They
all travel at the same speed $300 000 000m/s&. The only di!!erence between the di!!erent types
o! wave is their wavelength and !re,uency, but this gives the waves very di!!erent properties
and uses.
Type 8ses #ther
Radio +ommunications
and radio/T*
broadcasts
Range !rom ?0cm to ;0'm wavelength. 5onger
wavelengths are re!lected by the ionosphere
$charged layer in Earth1s atmosphere& so are able
to travel around the curvature o! the Earth. Cass
through humans without being absorbed.
-icro 7atellite
communications,
mobile phones,
coo'ing
-icrowaves are able to pass through the Earth1s
atmosphere so are used to send in!ormation to
satellites. They also cause water molecules in
!ood to vibrate and heat up, coo'ing the !ood.
They are not very dangerous to humans although
prolonged e3posure should be avoided and they
may cause cataracts.
%n!ra)
red
Toaster and grills,
remote controls,
heat vision, optical
communications
%n!ra)red waves are emitted by all ob"ects but
more when the ob"ect is hotter. They can cause
burns on human s'in. 8sed to carry signals
down optical !ibres.
5ight 7eeing things,
lasers, optical
communications,
+D players etc
The only part o! the E)- spectrum detectable by
the human eye. White light can be split into
di!!erent wavelengths which have di!!erent
colours $between red and violet&. 8sed to carry
signals down optical !ibres.
8ltra)
violet
7ecurity mar'ings,
!luorescence, sun
beds
E3posure to 8* can cause sun burn and s'in
cancer as it is absorbed by and damages s'in
cells. Eluorescence is where chemicals absorb
8* light $invisible& and re)emit it as visible light so
the chemical can be seen in 8* light.
9 rays 9 rays +an cause cancer in deep tissues with over
e3posure. 9 rays can penentrate !lesh but are
absorbed by bone, so an image can be built o!
bones.
:amma Treating cancer,
tracers,
sterilisation.
Emitted by some radioactive substances. +an be
used to 'ill cancerous cells and harm!ul bacteria,
but can also cause cancer when over e3posed.
Re!lection
All waves can be re!lected !rom sur!aces, and they obey the 5aw o! Re!lection. This states that
the angle o! incidence is e,ual to the angle o! re!lection. The angles are measured between the
wave and the normal, which is a line drawn at @0
o
to the sur!ace where the wave is incident.
The diagram below illustrates the 5aw o! Re!lection.
Re!raction
All waves can be re!racted. When a wave moves to a di!!erent medium $e.g. passing !rom air to
glass&, it will change speed. This change in speed causes the wave to change direction $unless
the wave is travelling along the normal to the boundary&. %! the wave slows down $e.g. when
light moves !rom air to glass&, it will bend towards the normal, so the angle o! incidence will be
greater than the angle o! re!raction. %! the wave speeds up $e.g. when light moves !rom glass to
air& it will bend away !rom the normal, so the angle o! incidence will be smaller than the angle o!
re!raction.
When a wave slows down, its wavelength decreases, so the wave!ronts get closer together.
This can be observed when water waves re!ract which happens when the water they are
travelling in changes depth. They travel slower in shallower water.
Di!!raction
Di!!raction is the spreading out o! the edges o! waves as they pass through a gap or past an
obstacle. Di!!raction occurs more strongly when the siFe o! the gap is similar to the wavelength
o! the wave. Di!!raction is the reason why radio broadcasts can sometimes be received in the
shadow o! a hill.