WAVES

In physics, a wave is an oscillation accompanied by a transfer of energy that travels through a

medium (space or mass). Frequency refers to the addition of time. Wave
motiontransfers energy from one point to another, which displace particles of the transmission
medium that is, with little or no associated mass transport. Waves consist, instead,
ofoscillations or vibrations (of a physical quantity), around almost fixed locations.
There are two main types of waves. Mechanical waves propagate through a medium, and the
substance of this medium is deformed. The deformation reverses itself owing torestoring
forces resulting from its deformation. For example, sound waves propagate via air molecules
colliding with their neighbors. When air molecules collide, they also bounce away from each other (a
restoring force). This keeps the molecules from continuing to travel in the direction of the wave.
The second main type of wave, electromagnetic waves, do not require a medium. Instead, they
consist of periodic oscillations of electrical and magnetic fields originally generated by charged
particles, and can therefore travel through a vacuum. These types of waves vary in wavelength, and
include radio waves, microwaves, infrared radiation, visible light,ultraviolet radiation, X-rays,
and gamma rays.
Waves are described by a wave equation which sets out how the disturbance proceeds over time.
The mathematical form of this equation varies depending on the type of wave. Further, the behavior
of particles in quantum mechanics are described by waves. In addition, gravitational waves also
travel through space, which are a result of a vibration or movement in gravitational fields.
A wave can be transverse or longitudinal. Transverse waves occur when a disturbance creates
oscillations that are perpendicular to the propagation of energy transfer. Longitudinal waves occur
when the oscillations are parallel to the direction of energy propagation. While mechanical waves
can be both transverse and longitudinal, all electromagnetic waves are transverse in free space.

Radio waves
Radio waves are a type of electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths in the electromagnetic
spectrum longer than infraredlight. Radio waves have frequencies as high as 300 GHz to as low as
3 kHz, though some definitions describe waves above 1 or 3 GHz as microwaves, or include waves
of any lower frequency. At 300 GHz, the corresponding wavelength is 1 mm (0.039 in), and at 3 kHz
is 100 km (62 mi). Like all other electromagnetic waves, they travel at the speed of light. Naturally
occurring radio waves are generated by lightning, or by astronomical objects.

Microwave
Microwaves are a form of electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths ranging from one meter to
one millimeter; with frequencies between 300 MHz (100 cm) and 300 GHz (0.1 cm).[1][2] This broad
definition includes both UHF and EHF (millimeter waves), and various sources use different
boundaries. In all cases, microwave includes the entire SHF band (3 to 30 GHz, or 10 to 1 cm) at
minimum, with RF engineeringoften restricting the range between 1 and 100 GHz (300 and 3 mm).

Infrared
Infrared (IR) is invisible radiant energy, electromagnetic radiation with longer wavelengths than
those of visible light, extending from the nominal red edge of the visible spectrum at
700 nanometers (frequency 430 THz) to 1 mm (300 GHz)[1] (although people can see infrared up to
at least 1050 nm in experiments[2][3][4][5]). Most of the thermal radiation emitted by objects near room
temperature is infrared.
Infrared radiation was discovered in 1800 by astronomer Sir William Herschel, who discovered a
type of invisible radiation in the spectrum lower in energy than red light, by means of its effect on a
thermometer.[6] Slightly more than half of the total energy from the Sun was eventually found to arrive
on Earth in the form of infrared. The balance between absorbed and emitted infrared radiation has a
critical effect on Earth's climate.

Visible light

Visible light is a form of electromagnetic (EM) radiation, as are radio waves, infrared radiation,
ultraviolet radiation, X-rays and microwaves. Generally, visible light is defined as the
wavelengths that are visible to most human eyes

Xray
X-radiation (composed of X-rays) is a form of electromagnetic radiation. Most X-rays have
a wavelengthranging from 0.01 to 10 nanometers, corresponding to frequencies in the range
30 petahertz to 30 exahertz(31016 Hz to 31019 Hz) and energies in the range 100 eV to 100 keV. Xray wavelengths are shorter than those of UV rays and typically longer than those of gamma rays. In
many languages, X-radiation is referred to with terms meaning Rntgen radiation, after Wilhelm
Rntgen,[1] who is usually credited as its discoverer, and who had named it X-radiation to signify an
unknown type of radiation.[2] Spelling of X-ray(s) in the English language includes the variants xray(s), xray(s), and X ray(s)

Ultraviolet
Ultraviolet (UV) is an electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength from 100 nm (30 PHz) to 380 nm
(750 THz), shorter than that of visible light but longer than X-rays. UV radiation is present in sunlight.
It is also produced by electric arcs and specialized lights such as mercury-vapor lamps, tanning
lamps, and black lights. Although lacking the energy to ionize atoms, long-wavelength ultraviolet
radiation can causechemical reactions and causes many substances to glow or fluoresce.
Consequently, biological effects of UV are greater than simple heating effects, and many practical
applications of UV radiation derive from its interactions with organic molecules.

Gamma ray (also called gamma radiation), denoted by the lower-case Greek letter gamma ( or ),
is penetrating electromagnetic radiation of a kind arising from the radioactive decay of atomic nuclei
and therefore consists of high-energy photons. Paul Villard, a French chemist and physicist,
discovered gamma radiation in 1900 while studying radiation emitted by radium. In 1903, Ernest
Rutherford named this radiation gamma rays. Rutherford had previously discovered two other types
of radioactive decay, which he named alpha and beta rays.