Waves & Electromagnetic

Radiation

Chapter 6
Great Idea:
Whenever an electrically charged object is accelerated, it
produces electromagnetic radiation—waves of energy
that travel at the speed of light
 Chapter Outline
• The Nature of Waves
• The Electromagnetic Wave
• The Electromagnetic Spectrum
The Nature of Waves
 Energy Transfer by Waves

• Wave
– A traveling disturbance
• Properties of Waves
– Wavelength
– Frequency
– Velocity
– Amplitude
 The Relationship Among Wavelength,
Frequency, and Velocity
• Velocity of a wave

– Equation: v  f
 The Two Kinds of Waves:
Transverse and Longitudinal

• Transverse
– Motion is perpendicular to wave
direction
• Longitudinal
– Motion is same direction as wave
 Interference
• Interference
– Constructive Interference
• Act together
– Destructive Interference
• Cancellation
The Electromagnetic Wave
 The Anatomy of the
Electromagnetic Wave

• Point A
– Maximum strength, but decreasing
• Point B
– Minimum strength, but increasing
• Electromagnetic waves continue through internal
mechanisms and transfer energy as they travel
 Light & The Energy of
Electromagnetic Waves
• Speed of Light
– All electromagnetic waves have same
velocity
– c=300,000km/s
• Energy
– Higher frequency=blue color
– Lower frequency=red color
 The Doppler Effect
• Doppler Effect
– Wave motion is
independent of
its source
– If source
moves,
frequency
appears to
change
 Transmission, Absorption,
and Scattering
• Transmission
– Wave passes through
matter
• Absorption
– Wave & energy are
absorbed
• Scattering
– Waves absorbed and
reemitted
• Diffuse scattering
• Reflection
The Electromagnetic
Spectrum
 The Electromagnetic
Spectrum
• Maxwell’s equations
– Predicted more waves
• Hertz
– Radio
waves
 Radio Waves & Microwaves
• Radio Waves
– Range: kilohertz to hundreds of
megahertz
– Longest waves
• Microwaves
– Range: 1mm-1m
 Infrared Radiation
• Infrared Radiation
– Range: 1mm-1µ
• All warm objects emit radiation
 Visible Light
• Visible Light
– Range: 700nm-400nm
• Colors
– Slices of electromagnetic spectrum
 Ultraviolet Radiation
• Ultraviolet Radiation
– Range: 400nm-100nm
– Shorter wavelength=more energy
• Damage to cells
• Fluorescence
 X-rays & Gamma Rays
• X-rays
– Range: 100nm-0.1nm
– High-frequency
– Medicine
• Gamma Rays
– Range: 0.1nm (10-10m)-10-12m
– Highest frequency
– Medicine
– Astronomy