Light and the Electromagnetic spectrum Flashcards
What are you always surrounded by?
You are always surrounded by invisible waves that even pass through you.
What are some of the invisible waves around you?
Microwaves, wireless internet, radio, cellphone waves, suns rays
What is radiant energy?
Radiant energy is energy, such as light, that travels by radiation.
Does the sun only radiate visible light?
No, the sun radiates a broad spectrum of energy, but we only see a tiny band.
How are light waves different than water waves?
In a water wave, water particles vibrate up and down as the wave passes through the water, in a light wave the electrical and magnetic fields vibrate.
What is another name for light?
Another name for light is electromagnetic radiation
What is electromagnetic radiation?
Electromagnetic radiation is the transmission of energy in the form of waves from the longest radio waves to the shortest gamma waves.
Why can you not see radio and infrared waves in the air?
Radio and infrared waves have longer wavelengths and are lower frequency than visible light.
Which waves have the longest wavelength and lowest energy and frequency?
Radio waves have the longest wavelength, lowest energy and frequency
What type of waves are microwaves and radar waves?
Microwaves and radar are types of radio waves.
What is magnetic resonance imaging?
MRI, these are scans of the body that show the insides, such as a brain scan. They can see the energy that is released by the particles in the brain
What are microwaves?
Microwaves have the shortest wavelength and the highest frequency of all radio waves.
How does a microwave work
Microwaves strongly affect water, so it makes the water in food vibrate quickly and heat up. Only food with water can be heated with microwaves.
How do scientists use microwaves in space?
they send microwaves to space to study the composition, motion and structure of distant objects.
What is radar?
Radar is used for tracking movement of automobiles, aircraft, spacecraft etc. Weather forcasting. Anything that can reflect the waves can be tracked.
What is RADARSTAT?
RADARSTAT is a Canadian satellite that sweeps the ground below with radio waves, monitoring ice flow, oil sills, geographical features etc.
What are infrared waves?
Infrared waves are a type of electromagnetic radiation that compared to light has a longer wavelength and lower energy.
What uses infrared in your home?
Your remote control, a CD reader, uses infrared light.
What has more infrared energy?
A warmer item has more infrared energy.
How is infrared used at airports?
They use infrared images to monitor heat from people to make sure arrivals do not have fevers and are bringing illnesses to Canada.
Which wavelengths carry more energy than light?
Wavelengths that are shorter than visible light carry more energy: Ultraviolet, xrays, and gamma rays
Where is ultraviolet found?
Ultraviolet is just beyond the violet spectrum.
What is the difference between ultraviolet light and visible light?
Ultraviolet cannot be seen and it has a shorter wavelength and higher energy and frequency.
How does your body use ultraviolet light?
Your body needs ultraviolet light to create Vitamin D.
What happens if you get too much violet light?
with too much ultraviolet light you will get a sunburn and skin cancer, or damage to your eye surface.
What are some good uses of ultraviolet light?
Ultraviolet light shows fingerprints on crime scenes and can kill bacteria in food
what did Wilhelm Roentgen discover?
Wilhelm Roetgen discovered xray.
How is xray different from ultraviolet light?
Xray has a shorter wavelength and higher energy and frequency than ultraviolet light.
What are some uses of xrays?
Xrays are used to examine luggage at airports, your teeth at the dentist, airplane parts
What are the highest energy and frequency and shortest wavelength waves in the electromagnetic spectrum?
Gamma rays are highest energy and frequency and have the shortest wavelength.
How are gamma rays used?
Gamma rays are used in cancer treatment in focussed radiation spurts.
Where do gamma rays come from
Gamma rays come from nuclear reactions and are produced by the hottest regions of the universe.
