Electromagnetic Radiation

From physick.wikispaces.com
Electromagnetic radiation is radiant energy, or energy that travels outward from its source in every direction. It is comprised of AM-FM radio waves, microwaves, heat, visible light (ROY G BIV), ultraviolet light, Xrays and gamma rays. Each type of radiation is identified by their frequency, wavelength and source. How Electromagnetic radiation (EMR) propagated (moved) was unclear and there were two main models on how it moved. One model stated that is moved as a particle and it supported how light obeyed the law of refelction. The second model was the wave model, the idea that light moved as a wave. Both models were combined by Thomas Young's Two-Slit Experiment. So in fact EMR is has both wave and particle properties. This was further built on by James Maxwell when he proposed the idea that a changing electric field produced a changing magnetic field and that this interaction between these fields created a wave (hence Electromagnetic radiation). For some reason things in Physics 30 like to be perpendicular so for an electromagnetic wave rememeber that the electric field is perpendicular to the magnetic firled which in turn is perpendicular to the direction that the wave is traveling. Now there leaves one question... How is EMR produced? Well it is produced whenever an electric charge is accelerated. Pretty simple, however whenever the electric charge oscillates an equal amount of energy will be radiated in the form of oscillating electric and magnetic fields.

  • James E. Ackroyd, Mark Anderson, Carmen Berg, Dr. Brian E. Martin, 05/01/2012, Peason Physics