Module 4-6 Flashcards
- Calculated the speed of an electromagnetic wave and found that the speed of an electromagnetic wave was almost identical to the speed of light. Based on this discovery, he was the first to propose that light was an electromagnetic wave.
James Clerk Maxwell
They are a form of energy that travels through space at the speed of light. Characterized by their wavelength and frequency.
Electromagnetic Waves
The longest wavelengths of all electromagnetic waves.
Used for communication (radio and television), radio, and navigation.
Radio waves
Have shorter wavelengths than radio waves.
Used in cooking, communication (cell phones), and radar.
Microwaves
Has even shorter wavelengths than microwaves.
We can feel it as heat.
It is used in night vision devices, thermal imaging cameras, and remote controls.
Infrared Radiation
The type of electromagnetic radiation that we can see.
It is a very narrow range of the electromagnetic spectrum.
The different colors of this have different wavelengths.
Visible light
Has shorter wavelengths than visible light.
It can cause sunburn and skin cancer.
It is used in sterilizing equipment and curing ink.
Ultraviolet Radiation
Have even shorter wavelengths than ultraviolet radiation.
They can pass through many materials, including human tissue.
These are used in medical imaging and security applications.
X-rays
Have the shortest wavelengths of all electromagnetic waves.
They are the most energetic form of electromagnetic radiation.
They are produced by radioactive materials and nuclear reactions.
Gamma rays
the electric and magnetic fields oscillate perpendicular to the direction of wave propagation
Transverse waves
the distance between two corresponding points in a single cycle of the wave.
wavelength
the number of cycles that pass a point in one second and is measured in Hertz (Hz).
frequency
is the intensity or magnitude of the wave’s variation.
Amplitude
speed of light
3.0 x 10^8 m/s
planck’s constant
6.624 x 10^-34 J/s
