ENERGY AND

INFORMATION TRANSFER
BY WAVES
Jan 11,2015

WAYS TO
TRANSFER
ENERGY
BY PARTICLE
BY WAVE

TRUE OF FALSE: Individual water particles are moving

towards us as ocean surf waves come into the shore.

A wave can
be defined
as a
travelling
disturbance.

TRUE OF FALSE: Particles in the air move to carry

sound, that is matter that is transferred.

TRUE OF FALSE: Each particle in a wave continuously

change in both potential and kinetic energy.

TRUE OF FALSE: The speed of sound is constant

despite differences in air conditions.
SPEED OF SOUND IN A GIVEN
MEDIUM

SPEED OF SOUND IN AIR

INERTIAL FACTOR

AND

ELASTIC FACTOR

TRUE OF FALSE: The same amount of energy introduced into

a zinc and a copper slinky will result to the same amplitude.

TRUE OF FALSE: Richter scale measures the

frequency of seismic waves.

ENERGY AND AMPLITUDE

TRUE OF FALSE: The amplitude of a sound wave is

how loud a sound is.

TRUE OF FALSE: Putting a lot of energy into a transverse

pulse will not affect the wavelength, the frequency or
the speed of the pulse.

Second type of wave

ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVE
consists of waves that are caused by the acceleration of charged particles
consists of electric and magnetic fields vibrating transversely and
sinusoidally at right angles to each other and to the direction of the
movement of waves
require NO MEDIUM through which to travel
In free space, all EM waves move with the same speed of 3x108 m/s

A wide range of EM waves exist in nature at different wavelengths and frequencies

Electromagnetic Spectrum
Cut-off wavelengths are not precise, there is some overlap
Each type can be broken down into subtypes
Radio wave band contains AM radio communications band at
its higher wavelength end, followed by the TV band and then
the radar and microwave bands at the lower wavelength end
The narrow visible light band contains all the visible colors
between 780nm and 380nm wavelength

USES and METHODS OF DETECTION

The Ultra-High Frequency (UHF) band, ranging from 300 megahertz (MHz)
to 3,000 MHz is used mainly for communication with guided missiles, in
aircraft navigation, radar, and in the transmission of television.
FM radio stations use the Very High Frequency (VHF) band from 30 MHz to
300 MHz.
Short wave radio uses the High Frequency (HF) band from 3 MHz to 30
MHz because waves in this band are easily reflected by the KennellyHeaviside layer (the E-layer) of the ionosphere, al lowing very long di
stance communication by short wave radio.
AM radio broadcasts use the Medium, Low and Very Low Frequency (MF, LF,
VLF) bands from 3000 kHz down to 3 kHz.

USES and METHODS OF DETECTION

The ionosphere also reflects these waves. The exact
allocation of frequency bands varies from country to country
and is usually control led by government authorities.
Radio waves can be detected by the combination of (i) an
aerial for receiving the electromagnetic waves and
converting them into electrical oscillations and (ii) diodes in
appropriately tuned electronic circuits in the receiver that
produce an audio frequency signal .

USES and METHODS OF DETECTION

Microwaves, which occupy the very top of the radio wave band
from 3GHz up to 300 GHz, can pass through the ionosphere and
are used in radar, space communication such as with satellites,
radio and television, meteorology, microwave landing system
(MLS) for aircraft, distance measuring, materials research and
even ordinary old cooking.
Microwaves can be detected using a waveguide. This is a hollow
conducting tube containing a dielectric (insulator) and is used to
guide UHF EM waves along its length by reflection off the internal
walls. A cavity resonator may be added to collect the energy.

USES and METHODS OF DETECTION

Infrared radiation is heat radiation and is used in
guidance systems of missiles, for l inking computers in
networks, as a diagnostic tool
in medicine
(thermography), in remote sensing aerial and satellite
IR photography to search for minerals or monitor
crops, in night vision goggles, in cooking, heating,
drying and so on.
IR can be detected by a thermopile or a photo
transistor.

USES and METHODS OF DETECTION

Visible light is the means by which we view the world,
mainly by reflection. It is also used in communication to
transport huge volumes of information over very large
distances by internal reflection of light in optical fibres.
Light waves have high frequencies and the information
carrying capacity of a signal increases with frequency,
making light perfect for the job. Light is detected by our
eyes, by photo cells, cameras and light sensitive diodes.

USES and METHODS OF DETECTION

Ultraviolet radiation is largely responsible for damage to
skin and eyes exposed to sunlight for too long. It is used in
the treatment of skin complaints, for killing bacteria, for
fluorescent lighting, in burglar alarms, automatic door
openers and counters and a host of other applications.
UV radiation can be detected by photographic film,
photovoltaic cells and by the fluorescence it causes in ZnS
and other salts.

USES and METHODS OF DETECTION

X rays are used in medicine both to supply images of
internal body structures and to destroy tumors, in
industry for detecting cracks in metal and in research
laboratories for determining crystal
structure by
diffraction.
X rays can be detected by photographic plates and film,
ionization of gases and by the photoelectric effect, where
the X rays knock electrons out of a metal surface.

USES and METHODS OF DETECTION

Gamma rays can be used to destroy cancerous
tumors, to detect flaws in metals and to sterilize
equipment.
Gamma rays can be detected by Geiger Muller tubes
and photographic plates and film.