Electromagnetic Spectrum

What are some examples of waves around us? Sunlight Radio Infrared Visible light Ultra Violet Television X-rays Gamma Rays Ocean

How fast are these waves? 300,000,000 meters in one second. Light from the sun reaches the earth in 8 minutes.

Light is a wave and it’s not a wave… There are times when it is easier to understand light as a stream of particles or a RAY

What is polarized light? When light goes through a filter eliminating some of the waves

What two things do all waves have in common? They transfer energy from place to place They require a medium

What are electromagnetic waves? Transverse waves that have some electrical and some magnetic properties.

What is a medium? A material through which a wave can travel

Why are electromagnetic waves so special? They consist of changing electrical and magnetic fields

What does transverse mean? A wave that vibrates the medium perpendicular to the direction of the wave.

What is the electromagnetic spectrum? Name for the range of electromagnetic wave placed in order of increasing frequency

List all of the waves on the spectrum Radio Infrared Visible light X Rays Gamma Rays

Which of these can you see? Only visible light Why can’t you see the others? The waves are moving either too fast or too slow for your eyes to pick them up.

Look at Figure 5, what do you notice about wavelength and frequency? They are opposites. When the wavelength gets bigger, the frequency gets lower….

Picture Time!!

Picture Time!!

Picture Time!!