Elizabeth Cooper

Electromagnetic Spectrum and its six portions The electromagnetic Spectrum is the range for all the possible frequencies of electromagnetic radiation. Its divided into six portions which are Radio Waves, Microwaves, Infrared Rays, Ultraviolet Rays, X Rays and Gamma Rays. These waves and rays have different purposes from each other and have been developed by science to fit in our everyday life. Most of us dont realize that some of our equipment at home, which we use daily, has to do with any of these spectrums and that they become very useful in the moment needed. Radio communications are used for radio and satellite broadcasting, microwaves are used as heating food ovens, Infrared rays are used in industrial, scientific and medical applications, Ultraviolet rays are found in sunlight and emitted in electric arcs, X-rays are used mostly for medical purposes, Infrared waves are found in our tv remote controls, weather forecasting and in some cases to heat food and finally Gamma waves are found in nuclear explosions and in space. These are very handy and without them, our everyday life would be much more difficult.

Radio waves were discovered by Heinrich Hertz in 1888. They travel at the speed of light with wavelengths up to 100 km. Natural occurring radio waves are created by lightning or by astronomical objects but artificially generated ones are made by radio communication, broadcasting, radar systems, communication satellites and by computer networks. Reflection, refraction, polarization and absorption are of critical importance in the study of how these waves travel in the vacuum of free space. The most usual object we have at home which functions with radio waves are radios to talk about the news or just music. They also carry signals for your televisions or cellular phones which are received from antennae or cable disks.

Microwaves were discovered by physicist and mathematician called James Clerk Maxwell in 1864. These waves were first used during World War I for radar purposes and later on were developed to make micro ovens function in order to heat up food. They can produce heating effects whilst energy is being absorbed and so this is what makes our cold food heat up again in minutes or seconds. Many people have misbeliefs about the damages it can have on our health like nutrients being destroyed, the cause of cancer, you can burn your eyes if you look straight through its window,etc. Microwaves are good for transmitting information from one place to another because its energy can penetrate haze, light rain, snow, clouds and smoke. Microwave towers can transmit information like telephone calls or computer information/ data from one city to another. Infrared Rays lie between the visible and microwave portions of the electromagnetic spectrum and have range of wavelengths. Far Infrared is closer to the microwave region of EM spectrum and are thermal. We experience this kind of heat everyday as a source of heat in our everyday life like sunlight, fire, radiators, etc. Shorter, near infrared waves are not hot at all and can be found in our TVs remote control. Our body temperature radiate most strongly at 10 microns, and can be shown as a picture divided into colours by special infrared cameras. Orange and red parts in the image are the warmest areas whilst colour blue areas show were its coolest in the body.

Ultraviolet Rays were discovered in 1801 by Johann Ritter when he exposed photographic paper are invisible to the humans eye but can be seen by insects like the Bumblebee because the have shorter wavelengths compared to visible light. This spectrum has been divided into four parts: The near ultraviolet (light closest to visible light), the middle ultraviolet, the far ultraviolet and the extreme ultraviolet (light closest to X-Rays). These rays are found in sunlight and are emitted by electric arcs and are the cause for sunburns. Most UV Rays try to penetrate the Earth but in cases are blocked by gases like Ozone. Ultraviolet light is bad for scientists, especially astronomers from the Nasa who have put a satellite named Nasa;s extreme ultraviolet explorer to explore the extreme UV universes over the past 17yrs.

X-Rays were discovered by Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen in 1895, a German scientists which found them by accident when experimenting with vacuum tubes. X-Rays have lower wavelengths but higher energy compared to UV Rays. We cant see X-Rays but can observed a persons bones with their clothes on and they are also used for astronomy purposes. You can get XRays taken at a dentists in order to locate mis-placed teeth and solve the problem. Also, whenever you break a bone or have tumors, doctors take X-Rays of your rib, foot, leg ,cranium,etc depending on the body part that been fractured in order to help you with a solution and treatment. Due to the ionizing radiation the cause, it isnt always good to be around them for long periods of time.

Gamma Rays were discovered by Paul Villard, a French physicist in 1898 when he realized they were different from X-Rays due to their penetrating depth. The have the smallest wavelength but the largest amount of energy compared to the rest of EM spectrums. These waves are generated during nuclear explosions and by radioactive atoms and so they can kill living cells, medicine takes advantage of these rays to kill cancer cells. Gamma Rays are the most energetic form of light and are produced by the hottest regions located in the universe when supernova explosions happen. They can release more energy in 10 seconds than the sun could in its entire 10 billion life time.

Overall, the electromagnetic spectrum and its six portions are examples of scientific discoveries used in our everyday lives such as in the kitchen whilst cooking, as well as entertainment such as the TV, radio and cell phone. Although we use all these waves and rays, we dont always realize and in some scientific cases, too much contact with them may cause diseases or change the functioning of our body. Science it self in evolving more and more each decade and soon, the nessesity of these waves/rays will be superficial, who knows? But what I do know is that right now, and everyday new waves are born by the result of earth itself and later on will be discovered but do you think that in a decade of time, as well as the creation of it, the destruction will also arrive? Who knows, only the future does