Module 11 Electromagnetic Waves

Electromagnetic wave

waves made by vibrating electric charges

Photon

a massless bundle of energy that behaves like a particle

Radio waves

electromagnetic waves with wavelengths longer than 10cm, example RADAR

Microwaves

electromagnetic waves with wavelengths between 1cm and 20cm, example cell phones

Infrared Waves

electromagnetic waves with wavelengths between one-thousandth of a meter and about 700-billionths of a meter, example remote control

Visible light

the range of electromagnetic waves that you detect with your eyes

Ultraviolet waves

electromagnetic waves with wavelengths from about 400-billionths to 10-billionths of a meter, example sunlight

X-rays

electromagnetic waves with wavelengths between about 10-billionths and 10-trillionths of a meter, example imagining teeth and bones

Gamma rays

electromagnetic waves with wavelengths shorter than 100-trillionths of a meter, example radiation therapy

carrier wave

an electromagnetic wave with the specific frequency that a station is assigned

modulation

the process of adding the signal wave to the carrier wave

Analog signal

electric signals whose values change smoothly over time. Example: AM and FM

Digital signal

electric signals for which there are only two possible values, ON and OFF

transceiver

a device that transmits one radio signal and receives another radio signal. Example: cell phone

Global Positioning System

a system of satellites, ground monitoring stations, and receivers that determine your exact location on or above Earth's surface