Electromagnetic Radiation / their properties/ discovery/ production and uses

Electromagnetic radiation definition

    Electromagnetic radiation is a kind of radiation that needs a medium for propagation.  They include visible light, radio waves, gamma rays, and X-rays, in which electric and magnetic fields vary simultaneously.

    The travel of photons in space is known as electromagnetic radiation. It has no mass and no charge but it travels in packets of radiant energy called quanta or photons.y

Properties of electromagnetic radiation 

• Electromagnetic radiations need a medium for their propagation. Without a medium, they cannot travel.
• Both electric and magnetic fields lie perpendicular to each other.
• Due to the presence of both of the fields these radiations are named electromagnetic radiations.
• All forms of energy that are all around us are in the form of electromagnetic radiation.
• Sunlight is also a form of electromagnetic energy.
• Visible light is only a small portion of the EM spectrum, which contains a broad range of electromagnetic wavelengths.
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electromagnetic radiation

Discovery

• Electromagnetic radiations are discovered in the early 19th century by Heinrich Hertz. 

 Production of EM radiations

•  EM radiation is created when an atomic particle, such as an electron, is accelerated by an electric field, causing it to move.
• The movement produces oscillating electric and magnetic fields, which travel at right angles to each other in a bundle of light energy called a photon.
• A wavelength is a distance between two consecutive peaks of a wave. The distance between consecutive crest and trough.
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  Electromagnetic radiation 

Uses of different electromagnetic radiations

1. Microwaves are used in microwave ovens and radar and in different industrial materials.  

2.X-ray has high energy and a short wavelength. These rays are produced by moving electrons. They are used to see the inside of the body.

3.Radio waves are used for communication in radio and television.

4.IR is used in imaging applications and remote control.

5. By the use of visible light, we are able to see everything around us.

6.UV radiation is used in Washing powder and in the study of galaxies, but it can also cause blindness and skin cancer.