Electromagnetic Spectrum
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This diagram shows that the electromagnetic spectrum includes waves with all possible wavelengths, ranging from low energy radio waves through visible light to high energy gamma rays.
- Notice that a wave with a longer wavelength has a lower frequency and carries less energy.
- Notice that a wave with a shorter wavelength has a higher frequency and carries more energy.
Remember that:
- The electromagnetic spectrum includes, in order of increasing frequency and decreasing wavelength: radio waves, microwaves, infrared radiation, visible light, ultraviolet radiation, X-rays and gamma rays.
- There are no precisely defined boundaries between the bands of electromagnetic radiation in the electromagnetic spectrum. Each band is associated with different properties and applications – think of radios, microwaves, x-ray machines etc.
- Visible light is only a very small part of the electromagnetic spectrum.
- Energy (electromagnetic energy) is the radiant energy (light) transported by electromagnetic waves.
Description
Electromagnetic spectrum
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About the diagram
About the diagram
- This diagram shows that the electromagnetic spectrum includes waves with all possible wavelengths, ranging from low energy radio waves through visible light to high energy gamma rays.
- Notice that a wave with a longer wavelength has a lower frequency and carries less energy.
- Notice that a wave with a shorter wavelength has a higher frequency and carries more energy.
Remember that:
- The electromagnetic spectrum includes, in order of increasing frequency and decreasing wavelength: radio waves, microwaves, infrared radiation, visible light, ultraviolet radiation, X-rays and gamma rays.
- There are no precisely defined boundaries between the bands of electromagnetic radiation in the electromagnetic spectrum. Each band is associated with different properties and applications – think of radios, microwaves, x-ray machines etc.
- Visible light is only a very small part of the electromagnetic spectrum.
- Energy (electromagnetic energy) is the radiant energy (light) transported by electromagnetic waves.
- The term light can be used in three different ways:
- Light can be used to mean the whole of the electromagnetic spectrum from radio waves, through visible light to gamma rays. A better term is radiant energy or photon energy.
- Light can be used to mean the range of wavelengths and frequencies that can be detected by the human eye. A better term is visible light which refers to the wavelengths that correspond with the colours between red and violet, the visible spectrum.
- Light can be used to mean the range of wavelengths and frequencies between infra-red and ultra-violet. This usage is useful because the outer limits of the visible spectrum change under different lighting conditions and for different individuals.
- Referring to visible light simply as light is short-hand.
- Visible light is not the same for all living things.
Some key terms
Energy is a property of matter.
- Everything contains energy including all forms of matter and so all objects.
- Energy is evident in all forms of movement, interactions between, and changes to the forms and properties of matter.
- At an atomic level, energy is evident in the movement of electrons around the nucleus of an atom. Energy is stored in the nucleus of atoms as a result of the forces that bind protons and neutrons together.
- Energy can be transferred between objects, and converted from one form to another, but cannot be created or destroyed.
- Everything in the universe uses energy in one form or another.
- When it comes down to it, matter is energy.
- Light has energy but no mass so does not occupy space and has no volume.
- Energy is often described as either being potential energy or kinetic energy.
- Energy is measured in joules.
The hertz (symbol: Hz) is a unit used to measure the frequency of electromagnetic waves.
- Hertz are used when measuring the frequency of wave-cycles of electromagnetic waves.
- One hertz is defined as one cycle per second.
- Hertz measure the number of oscillations of the perpendicular electric and magnetic fields of electromagnetic radiation per second.
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- 1 Hertz (Hz) = 1 cycle per second
- 1 Kilohertz (kHz) = 1,000 (thousand) cycles per second
- 1 Megahertz (MHz) = 1,000,000 (million) cycles per second
- 1 Gigahertz (GHz) = 1,000,000,000 (billion) cycles per second
- 1 Terahertz (THz) = 1,000,000,000,000 (trillion )cycles per second
A nanometre is a unit of measurement of the wavelength of electromagnetic radiation.
- Nanometres are particularly useful when specifying the wavelength of electromagnetic waves in the visible region of the electromagnetic spectrum.
- The visible spectrum ranges from around 400 to 700 nm.
Wavelength is a measurement from any point on the path of a wave to the same point on its next oscillation. The measurement is made parallel to the centre-line of the wave.
- The wavelength of an electromagnetic wave is measured in metres.
- Each type of electromagnetic radiation, such as radio waves, visible light and gamma waves, forms a band of wavelengths on the electromagnetic spectrum.
- The visible part of the electromagnetic spectrum is composed of the range of wavelengths that correspond with all the different colours we see in the world.
- Human beings don’t see wavelengths of visible light, but they do see the spectral colours that correspond with each wavelength and the other colours produced when different wavelengths are combined.
- The wavelength of visible light is measured in nanometres. There are 1,000,000,000 nanometres to a metre.
The frequency of electromagnetic radiation (light) refers to the number of wave-cycles of an electromagnetic wave that pass a given point in a given amount of time.
An electronvolt is a unit of energy commonly used to measure the energy carried by electromagnetic radiation.
- Electronvolts can be used for measurements at the scale of elementary particles as small as single photons, the quantum of the electromagnetic field.
- One electronvolt is the amount of energy that a single electron has when it is accelerated by a potential difference of 1 volt.
- If there is a difference in voltage of 1 volt between two points in an electrical circuit (within a capacitor for example) then the force required (and the energy gained) by a photon accelerating from one point to the other is 1 electronvolt.
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