Name: electromagnetic waves: uses across the spectrum
Uploaded: 2020-09-03T13:38:27.000Z
Duration: 2 min 37 s
Channel: JoVE

K12 Standards

Pennsylvania State Academic Standards

9-12

Earth and Space Science

Earth's Systems

3.3.9-12.H

The Electromagnetic Spectrum

The electromagnetic spectrum is the range of frequencies and corresponding wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation.

Wavelength and frequency are inversely proportional to each other; the longer the wavelength, the lower the frequency.

The energy of electromagnetic radiation is directly proportional to its frequency, as shown by Planck&#8217;s equation. Thus, the highest-energy electromagnetic waves have the shortest wavelengths.

Electromagnetic waves are categorized as radio waves, microwaves, infrared, visible light, ultraviolet, X-rays, or gamma rays depending on their frequencies and wavelengths.

Radio waves, which are used to transmit signals between communications systems, have the longest wavelengths, the lowest frequencies, and the least amount of energy.

Microwaves have the next longest wavelengths. Their uses range from radar systems to heating food at home.

Next is infrared radiation, which is a significant part of the thermal radiation emitted by warm objects. For example, Earth both absorbs infrared radiation as part of the radiant energy emitted by the sun and itself emits infrared radiation into space.

The wavelengths of visible light are shorter still, ranging from 740 to 390 nanometers. Red light has the longest wavelengths, and violet has the shortest. Human eyes are only responsive to this narrow wavelength range.

Ultraviolet radiation has yet shorter wavelengths. Sunlight is the most familiar source of ultraviolet radiation, which has enough energy that excessive exposure causes sunburns and leads to skin cancer.

X-rays and gamma rays have the shortest wavelengths and are the most energetic forms of electromagnetic radiation. X-rays can pass through many substances, but they do not pass through bones very easily. This makes them an important imaging tool.

Gamma rays are best known as being released during the decay chains of certain radioactive elements. While there is no universal distinction between gamma and X-rays, gamma rays are typically considered to have the shortest wavelengths, highest frequencies, and highest energies.

the electromagnetic spectrum

The electromagnetic spectrum consists of all the types of electromagnetic radiation arranged according to their frequency and wavelength. Each of the various colors of visible light has specific frequencies and wavelengths associated with them, and you can see that visible light makes up only a small portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. Because the technologies developed to work in various parts of the electromagnetic spectrum are different, for reasons of convenience and historical legacies, different units are typically used for different parts of the spectrum. For example, radio waves are usually specified as frequencies (typically in units of MHz), while the visible region is usually specified in wavelengths (typically in units of nm or angstroms). 

<img alt="Electromagnetic spectrum diagram showing radiation types by wavelength and frequency." src="/files/core/CDNSource/lessons/975/975Image_1.png" style="width: 700px;" data-altupdatedat="1754904545000" data-alt="Electromagnetic spectrum diagram; shows wavelength, frequency ranges for waves: radio to gamma." /> 
Figure 1: Portions of the electromagnetic spectrum are shown in order of increasing frequency and decreasing wavelength.

The types of electromagnetic waves are radio waves, microwaves, ultraviolet, visible, infrared, x-rays, and gamma rays.

Radio waves have the longest wavelengths, the lowest frequencies, and carry the least amount of energy. They are used in cell phone technology, radio and television broadcasts, air-traffic control, etc.

Microwaves have shorter wavelengths as compared to the radio waves. They are absorbed by water and are used to heat and cook food. 

Next is infrared radiation, which is emitted by warm objects. For example, the Earth absorbs radiant energy from the sun and emits infrared radiation. Some of the infrared radiation is absorbed and re-emitted by the atmosphere to maintain the average temperature of the Earth through the greenhouse effect. Night vision goggles sense the infrared radiations emitted by our bodies.

Visible light is only a tiny portion of electromagnetic radiations ranging from 740 to 390 nm. Human eyes can only see this small range of wavelengths. Visible light mainly consists of seven color components, including red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. 

Ultraviolet radiation has wavelengths ranging from 400 to 10 nm. Sunlight is the most familiar source of UV radiation. It carries enough energy that, with excessive exposure, it causes sunburns.

X-rays can pass through many substances, making them an important imaging tool. Dentists use x-rays for diagnostic purposes, and airport security uses them to visualize components in a suitcase.

Gamma rays have smaller wavelengths, high frequencies, and energies. Gamma rays are released by nuclear reactions and naturally occurring radioactive elements.

X-rays and gamma rays are the most energetic forms of electromagnetic radiation. Their high energies can ionize atoms and molecules. The ionizing radiation can cause permanent change or damage to biological molecules. They are used to destroy cancer cells. 

This text is adapted from <a href="https://openstax.org/books/chemistry-2e/pages/6-1-electromagnetic-energy">Openstax, Chemistry 2e, Section 6.1: Electromagnetic Energy.</a>

The electromagnetic spectrum consists of all the types of electromagnetic radiation arranged according to their frequency and wavelength. Each of the ...

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Chemistry

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KEY TERMS AND CONCEPTS

electromagnetic waves: uses across the spectrum

The electromagnetic spectrum includes all electromagnetic radiation arranged by frequency and wavelength. Visible light is only a small part of it, and each color of visible light has its own frequency and wavelength. Different parts of the spectrum also use different units. Radio waves are usually measured in MHz, while the visible range is often measured in nm or angstroms.

The spectrum is organized from radio waves to gamma rays as frequency increases and wavelength decreases. Radio waves have the longest wavelengths, the lowest frequencies, and the least energy. They are used in cell phones, radio and television broadcasts, and air-traffic control. Microwaves have shorter wavelengths than radio waves and are absorbed by water, which is why they can heat and cook food.

Infrared radiation is next and is emitted by warm objects. The Earth absorbs energy from the Sun and gives off infrared radiation. Some of this radiation is absorbed and re-emitted by the atmosphere, which helps keep Earth’s average temperature stable through the greenhouse effect. Night vision goggles also detect the infrared radiation that our bodies emit.

Visible light spans only about 740 to 390 nm, so the human eye can see just a narrow band of electromagnetic radiation. This band includes red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. Ultraviolet radiation has wavelengths from about 400 to 10 nm. Sunlight is the most familiar source of UV radiation, and too much exposure can cause sunburn.

X-rays can pass through many materials, so they are useful for imaging. Dentists use x-rays for diagnosis, and airport security uses them to view what is inside a suitcase. Gamma rays have even smaller wavelengths, higher frequencies, and higher energies. They come from nuclear reactions and naturally occurring radioactive elements. X-rays and gamma rays are the most energetic forms of electromagnetic radiation, and their ionizing radiation can damage biological molecules. Because of that, they can be used to destroy cancer cells.

Electromagnetic Waves: Uses Across the Spectrum

electromagnetic-waves-uses-across-the-spectrum

the wave nature of light

Measuring Light with Wavelength and Frequency

Light can be described as an electromagnetic wave, and its behavior helps explain many patterns seen in science. For centuries, scientists have tried to understand light. Newton used lenses and prisms to show that white light is made of the colors of the rainbow mixed together. He explained light as tiny particles moving at high speed. Other scientists, including Christiaan Huygens, showed that reflection and refraction could also be explained by treating light as a wave. At the time, people...

The electromagnetic spectrum includes all electromagnetic radiation arranged by frequency and wavelength. Visible light is only a small part of it, and each color of visible light has its own frequency and wavelength. Different parts of the spectrum also use different units. Radio waves are usually measured in MHz, while the visible range is often measured in nm or angstroms. The spectrum is organized from radio waves to gamma rays as frequency increases and wavelength decreases. Radio waves...

interference and diffraction

Wave Patterns from Light and Slits

Light can form wave patterns through interference and diffraction. When two electromagnetic waves meet with their peaks and troughs lined up, they combine into a larger wave. This is constructive interference, and the waves are in phase. When a peak of one wave meets a trough of the other, the waves reduce each other. This is destructive interference, and the result has a much lower amplitude. Diffraction is another wave behavior. When light passes through a slit that is about the same size as...

photoelectric effect

Why Light Ejects Electrons from Metals

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the bohr model

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emission spectra

Line Spectra from Heated Gases

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the de broglie wavelength

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the uncertainty principle

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the quantum-mechanical model of an atom

Electron Orbitals in Quantum Mechanics

Quantum mechanics explains how electrons behave in atoms using waves and probability. Erwin Schrödinger built on de Broglie’s idea that an electron in hydrogen could act like a circular standing wave instead of moving in fixed circular paths. He then derived the Schrödinger equation, which became a major step in modern atomic theory. When Schrödinger applied his equation to hydrogen-like atoms, it matched Bohr’s energy expression and the Rydberg formula for hydrogen spectra. He described...

quantum numbers

Electron Orbitals and Spin

Electron orbitals are described by quantum numbers that show where an electron is most likely to be found around the nucleus. These numbers come from the quantum mechanical model, which is based on solutions of the Schrödinger equation. They also help explain why electron energy comes in set values instead of changing smoothly. The principal quantum number, n, labels the energy level. It can be 1, 2, 3, and so on, and higher n values usually mean higher electron energy. This number also tells...

atomic orbitals

Electron Regions in Atomic Orbitals

Electron regions in atomic orbitals show where an electron is most likely to be found in an atom. These three-dimensional regions are often drawn as boundary surfaces around the densest part of the cloud. The shape of an orbital depends on the angular momentum quantum number, l. This value can range from 0 to n - 1, where n is the principal quantum number. For n = 1, only l = 0 is allowed. For n = 2, both l = 0 and l = 1 are allowed. Orbitals with the same value of l form a subshell. The l =...

the pauli exclusion principle

Electron Spin and Orbital Pairing

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the energies of atomic orbitals

Shielding and Orbital Penetration

Shielding and orbital penetration help explain why electrons in an atom have different energies. Electrons are attracted to the positive nucleus, but they also repel one another in atoms with more than one electron. The strength of these forces depends on the charge and the distance between the particles. Opposite charges attract, like charges repel, and the force gets weaker as the particles move farther apart. An electron that stays closer to the nucleus is held more tightly. That means...

the aufbau principle and hund's rule

Electron Filling Order in Atomic Orbitals

Electron filling order in atomic orbitals follows the aufbau principle and Hund's rule. To write an electron configuration, we build atoms in order of atomic number. Starting with hydrogen and moving across the periods of the periodic table, one proton is added to the nucleus and one electron is placed into the correct subshell. This process describes the ground-state electron configurations of the elements. The aufbau principle comes from the German word aufbau, which means "to build up." It...

electron configuration of multielectron atoms

electron-configuration-of-multielectron-atoms

Valence Electrons and Noble Gas Shorthand

Valence electrons and noble gas shorthand help show how electrons are arranged in multielectron atoms. Sodium, the alkali metal with atomic number 11, has one more electron than neon. That extra electron goes into the lowest-energy subshell available, the 3s orbital, so sodium has the configuration 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s1. Electrons in the outermost shell, where n is highest, are called valence electrons. Electrons in the inner shells are called core electrons. Because core electrons often match a...

key terms and concepts

Explore the electromagnetic spectrum from radio waves to gamma rays, including visible light, infrared, UV, X-rays, and their real-world uses.

Electromagnetic Waves: Uses Across the Spectrum | JoVE K12

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Physical Science

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Louisiana Student Standards for Science

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Earth Science

Earth’s Systems

HS-ESS2-4

Tennessee Academic Standards

Physics

waves-and-their-applications-in-technologies-for-information-transfer

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PHYS.PS4.7

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Next Generation Science Standards

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SC.912.P.8.3

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C-PS4-5

P-PS4-4

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3.3.9-12.K

Electromagnetic Waves: Uses Across the Spectrum

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