Electro Magnetic Spectrum

Electro Magnetic Spectrum

What happens when you take two natural wondering parallel lines and force them to turn whilst still parallel? In a two dimensional perspective you will see two overlapping waves with a positive and negative parabola opposite from one another. In reality we would see a spiral. Imagine that these lines are instead two of the smallest forms of energy known as a photon and they are spiraling each other. When you reach distances of four hundred nanometres to seven hundred nanometres in between the photons (or wavelengths) you get what is commonly known as a visible light wave.

Light is very common in the Universe. Light is so common that everything on Earth has evolved to us life to its advantage to survive. If you were to take a prism and put light to it, it can slow light down by a fraction by revealing its much more colourful side. This is commonly known as the visible light spectrum. On one end of the spectrum you have red and on the other you have Violet. Red is red because its wavelengths are larger and has a larger Frequency. A frequency is the level of energy is it giving off and is determined by its wavelength, the larger the wavelength the higher the frequency. Blue is blue because it has a smaller wavelength and a higher frequency.

If you were to ask a modern physicist “What is light?” he would probably say “An electromagnetic wave”. What’s an electromagnetic wave? An electromagnetic wave (light) is mad up of entirely fundamental particles. The smallest fundamental particles known as photons make up light. Fundamental particles are only created and destroyed, they do not decay. All fundamental particles were created at the Big Bang. All fundamental particles are made entirely up of electromagnetism, being one of the reasons for electromagnetic waves. The other reason is that similar photons have the same amount of energy in a collection of matter (photons are released from electrons when they move; Light moves electrons on an atomic level to release its photons). A sheet of paper is made up of entirely paper molecules giving off paper molecule photons. That photons energy matches the strength of the visible white light which is found just between green and yellow. The amount of energy determines the size of the spiral or wavelength. The photons being released attract and repel each other at the exact same time creating and attractive circle and a repulsive thrust making it a constant. That is an electromagnetic wave.

The electromagnetic wave spectrum is broken into six main waves. On the slower end of light in order of slowest to fastest is Radio Waves and then Infrared. After or faster than light comes UV Rays, X-Rays and then Gamma Rays. Rays are the same as waves just classified faster than light. Radio waves are broken into ten smaller categories. The first is an Extremely Low Frequency or ELF. An ELF is commonly found being used by large mammals such as elephants and whales to communicate. We cannot hear an ELF. An ELF has a frequency from three Hertz to thirty Hertz. The wavelength distances from one hundred thousand kilometres to ten thousand kilometres.

Ninth in the radio wave spectrum is VF or Voice Frequency. A Voice frequency is at which we speak at. The frequency an average human male speaks at is eighty five Hertz to one hundred fifty five Hertz. The average human female ranges from one hundred sixty five Hertz to two hundred fifty five Hertz. The actual VF frequency ranges from three hundred Hertz to three thousand Hertz. The human voice is on the lowest end on VF.

Next is VLF or Very Low Frequency. A VLF was first used in simple long range communication using Morse code. A VLF has a frequency of three kilohertz to thirty kilohertz. The wavelengths are one hundred kilometres to ten kilometres.

Low Frequency and Medium Frequency (LF and MF) are commonly used to transmit voice over greater distances. Used in early radio communication. LF and MF have frequencies between thirty kilohertz to three megahertz. The wavelengths are ten kilometres to one hexametre.

Sixth is High Frequency. HF is commonly used to ‘listen’ to the Sun. The Suns gravity effect of the massive amount of Hydrogen causes it to give off light, heat, microwaves and radio waves. We can transmit its High Frequency radio waves into sound. An HF frequency runs from three megahertz to thirty megahertz. The wavelengths are one hundred metres to ten metres

After HF comes VHF. Very High Frequency is used in FM (Frequency Modulation) Radio. Specific listening frequencies are eighty eight megahertz to one hundred eight megahertz. These frequencies are regulated by the CRTC in Canada. VHF frequencies are thirty megahertz to three hundred megahertz. The wavelengths range from ten metres to one metre.

Ultra High Frequency is next. Combine UHF with VHF and you have antenna television. The VHF transmits the sound and the UHF transmits the