UNIT-1A: ELECTROMAGNETISM
1.1 Introduction to the Electromagnetic Spectrum
The range of all the wavelengths or frequencies of electromagnetic radiation is called
electromagnetic spectrum. Radiation is energy that travels and spreads out as it goes.
The visible light that comes from a lamp and the radio waves that come from a radio station are
two types of electromagnetic radiation. The other types of EM radiation that make up the
electromagnetic spectrum are microwaves, infrared light, ultraviolet light, X-rays and gamma-
rays.
Figure 1: Electromagnetic Spectrum
Electromagnetic radiation is a form of energy in which electric and magnetic fields are
mutually perpendicular to each other and these two electric and magnetic fields are
perpendicular to the direction of wave propagation. It exhibits wave like behaviour when it is
travelling through space.
1.2 Types of Electromagnetic radiation and its application
The electromagnetic radiation is broadly classified into seven types.
Radio waves
Microwaves
Infrared radiation
Visible light
Ultraviolet light1
X-rays
Gamma rays
Figure 2: Range of Electromagnetic Spectrum
1.2.1 Radio waves
Radio waves have the longest wavelengths and lowest frequencies in the electromagnetic
spectrum. The wavelength of the radio waves is ranging from 1 mm to 100 km and frequency
ranging from 3 KHz to 300 GHz. Like all the other electromagnetic radiations radio waves
travel at the speed of light in a vacuum. Radio waves are naturally produced by lightning or
astronomical objects. Radio waves were discovered in 1887 by Heinrich Hertz.
Advantages: They can travel long distances carrying message.
Disadvantages: It has low frequency so it can not transmit (send) a lot of data at one time.
Applications: They are also used to broadcast television signals, and mobile phones work -
your voice is sent through radio signals. Radio waves are also used for radar; it is extremely
important in military operations and can also be used in speed cameras and speed guns.
1.2.2 Microwaves
Microwave is an electromagnetic wave with wavelength ranging from 10 micrometer to 10
meter. These waves are commonly produced by electromagnetic oscillators with high frequency
in electric circuits. These are also used to transmit telephone conversations from one place to
another place. Shorter microwaves are used in remote sensing.
Advantages: Microwave energy can penetrate through light rain, snow, clouds and smoke.
Disadvantages: Line-of-sight will be disrupted if any obstacles, such as new buildings, are in
the way. Signal absorption by the atmosphere. Microwaves suffer from attenuation due to
atmospheric conditions.
Applications: Microwaves can be used in radar, telemetry, and microwave ovens to heat and
cook food. Since microwaves aren't that different from radio waves, they have also been used
for communications, especially for extending TV signals to larger distances.
1.2.3 Infrared radiation
The heat that we feel from Sun-rays is an infrared radiation. Therefore, sun is also a source of
an infrared radiation. Even objects that we think of as being too cold, such as ice cubes also
emit thermal energy. It is important to understand something about light in order to understand
night vision. The amount of energy in a light is depends on its wavelength, shorter wavelengths
have higher energy and longer wavelengths have less energy. Infrared light can be split into
three categories:
Near infrared: Near infrared light is closest to visible light, near infrared has wavelengths that
range from 0.7 to 1.3 micrometer.
Mid infrared: Mid infrared has wavelengths ranging from 1.3 to 3 micrometer. Both near
infrared and mid infrared are used by a variety of electronic devices, including remote controls.
Thermal infrared: Thermal infrared has wavelengths ranging from 3 micrometer to over 30
micrometer.
The main difference between thermal infrared and the other two is that thermal infrared is
emitted by an object instead of reflected off it. Infrared light is emitted by an object because of
change at the atomic level.
Advantages: Infrared rays are used in medical treatments, cameras for night vision.
Disadvantages: It can damage human cell tissue.
Applications: Night Vision, Thermography, Tracking Technology, Meteorology, Art History,
Heating.
1.2.4 Visible light
Visible light is the only part of the electromagnetic spectrum which is visible to the human eye.
The human eye is not able to see the radiations with wavelengths outside this visible spectrum.
Visible light can be seen in the form of different colors, each color has a different wavelength.
Red has the longest wavelength and violet has the shortest wavelength. When all the colors of
light are seen together, they make white light.
Figure 3: Visible Region
When the white light is sends through a prism, it splits into the different colors after it passes
through the prism. These different colors of light have different wavelengths.
The Sun is a natural source for visible light waves and our eyes see the reflection of this
sunlight from the objects around us. The colour of an object that we see is the colour of light
reflected from the object and the remaining all colours are absorbed. The wavelength of the
visible light is ranging from 400 to 700 nanometers. Different animals are sensitive to different
wavelengths, for example snakes are sensitive to infrared wavelengths so they can detect
infrared light and some insects can detect ultraviolet light.
The different colours of visible light with wavelength:
Violet light- 400 nm
Indigo light- 445 nm
Blue light- 450 to 495 nm
Green light- 495 to 570 nm
Yellow light- 570 to 590 nm
Orange light- 590 to 620 nm
Red light- 620 to 700 nm
Advantages: The main advantage of visible light is that you can see it and it is not harmful to
our eyes.
Applications: Signaling, seeing the world, astronomy, military application, growing food, etc.
1.2.5 Ultraviolet light
Ultraviolet (UV) light has shorter wavelengths than visible light ranging from 100nm to 400nm
(nanometers). This ultraviolet light is emitted from sun.
The high energy ultraviolet radiations from the sun are mostly blocked by the ozone layer in the
atmosphere, so that these harmful radiations can't reach to the earth surface. This high energy
ultraviolet radiation is ionizing radiation. Ionizing radiation is a radiation which has enough
energy to free or pull an electron from the atom. A small portion of high energy ultraviolet
radiations which was not blocked by the ozone layer in the atmosphere reaches the earth
surface, these radiations are harmful to the human beings which can causes sun burn.
A large amount of ultraviolet radiation that reaches the surface of the earth is low energy
ultraviolet radiations. This low energy ultraviolet radiation is a non-ionizing radiation. Non-
ionizing radiation is a radiation which does not have enough energy to completely remove or
free an electron from the atom. Ultraviolet light is invisible to human eye but it is visible to
number of birds and insects.
Classification of ultraviolet light: The ultraviolet spectrum is classified in to three regions
UVA, or near UV (315–400 nm)
UVB, or middle UV (280–315 nm)
UVC, or far UV (100–280 nm)
Advantages: One of the beneficial uses of UV light is that it can be used to kill bacteria and
other microbes.
Disadvantages: The disadvantage is that it can cause skin cancer and can damage DNA, if you
are exposed to sufficient amounts of UV light.
Applications: Healthcare, agriculture, commercial kitchen hooks, printing, industrial, etc.
1.2.6 X-rays
As the wavelengths of light decreases, energy increases. X-rays have smaller wavelengths and
therefore higher energy than ultraviolet waves. We usually talk about X-rays in terms of their
energy rather than wavelength. This is partially because X-rays have very small wavelengths. It
is also because X- ray light tends to act more like a particle than a wave.
X-rays were first observed and documented in 1895 by Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen, a German
scientist who found them quite by accident when experimenting with vacuum tubes.
X-Rays wavelength is ranging from 0.001nm to 10nm.
Advantages: X-Rays are used to identify the bone fractures by passing radiation in to internal
body.
Disadvantages: X-Rays can cause cancer if you are exposed to it over a prolonged period of
time.
Applications: Medical imaging, radiation therapy, airport security, etc.
1.2.7 Gamma rays
Gamma-rays have the smallest wavelength but most energetic than any other wave in the
electromagnetic spectrum. These waves are generated by radioactive atoms and in nuclear
explosions. Gamma-rays can kill living cells.
Gamma rays have the wavelengths ranging from 0.0001nm to 0.1nm. They are the most
penetrating electromagnetic radiations.
Advantages: It is used to kill cancerous cells.
Disadvantages: Gamma-rays can kill living cells.
Maxwell’s Equation
Ampere- Maxwell is the last of the four fundamental equations of electromagnetism called
Maxwell’s equations and displayed in Table -1. These four equations explain a diverse range of
phenomena, from why a compass needle points north to why a car starts when you turn the
ignition key. They are the basis for the functioning of such electromagnetic devices as electric
motors, television transmitters and receivers, telephones, fax machines, radar and microwave
ovens.
Table-1
Planck’s Equation
Max Planck discovered a theory that energy is transferred in the form of chunks called as
quanta, assigning as h. The variable h holds the constant value equal to 6.63 x 10-34 J.s based
on International System of units and the variable describes the frequency in s -1. The Planck’s
law helps us calculate the energy of photons when their frequency is known.
If the wavelength is known, you can calculate the energy by using the wave equation to
calculate the frequency and then apply Planck’s equation to find the energy.
Planck’s constant
Plank’s constant describes the relevancy between the energy per quantum (photon) of
electromagnetic radiation to its frequency.
Planck’s Law:
It states that electromagnetic radiation from heated bodies is not emitted as a continuous flow
but is made up of discrete units or quanta of energy, the size of which involve a fundamental
physical constant (Planck’s constant).
Mathematically,
2
2h c 1
Bλ(T) = λ 5 hc
ktλ
e −1
Where,
h = Planck’s constant = 6.626 ×10-34 Js
Example:
A Green light has a wavelength of 525 nm. Determine the energy for the green light in joules.
Solution: To find the Frequency;
We have λ= 525 nm
c
As we know that, c=λ×v, so v = λ
8
3× 10
v=
525
Hence, v=5.71×1014 /s
To find the Energy;
As we know that E=h×ν
= (6.626×10-34) × (5.71×1014)
= 3.78×10-19 J/photon
