... that we see in visible light represents only a very small portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. On one end of the spectrum are radio waves with wavelengths billions of times longer than those of visible light. On the other end of the spectrum are gamma rays. These have wavelengths ... in complete darkness or through clouds. This would be how spy satellites work or how we take pictures of the planets surface. Following after radio waves would be the magnificent microwave. "The microwave makes up a very small part of the spectrum although it is widely used throughout households across t...

• Word Count: 1970
• Approx Pages: 8
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... forms of radiation travel at the speed of light. Infrared radiation lies between the visible and microwave sections of the electromagnetic spectrum. Infrared waves have wavelengths longer than visible and shorter than microwaves, and have frequencies lower than visible and higher than microwaves. Infrared is broken into three categories. Near, mid and far infrared. ... infrared imaging is a very useful diagnostic tool. Infrared cameras are used for police and security as well as fire fighting and in the military. Infrared imaging is used to detect heat loss in buildings and testing ele...

• Word Count: 708
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... why they can be used in cooking. You can produce a high-powered microwave beam in a small oven, but you can't do the same with radio waves, which are simply too long. Microwaves and their Use The idea of cooking with radiation may seem like a fairly new one, but in fact it reaches ... the sun and striking the atmosphere, make the Earth warm and habitable. In a conventional gas or electric oven, infrared waves pour off the hot elements or burners and are converted to heat when they strike air inside and the food. Microwaves and infrared rays are related in that both are forms of electroma...

• Word Count: 1548
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

... : For seeing, this is the only visible electromagnetic wave. Ultraviolet: For suntans X-Rays: for seeing broken bones. Gamma Rays: For treating cancer. Radio Waves To the Victorians, the telegraph was their equivalent to the internet; it allowed immediate communication to anyplace possible around the world. Nowadays we use radio signals ... and send emails and faxes. Some can even display whole movies sent to the phone. Infrared (IR) There are many uses for infrared. Infrared (heat) is given off by humans. This can be very useful, for example, in earthquakes; victims buried under rubble...

• Word Count: 741
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... to stay on the sunny side of the street while walking. The sun is 93 million miles away from earth and its energy travels to us in moving waves called radiation. The energy becomes heat, light and other energy too. Visible sunlight allows us to see the world around us, but there is invisible sunlight, too. These rays can't be seen, but ... some can be felt as heat. They are called ultraviolet rays, and they are what changes the appearance of the skin, like wrinkles and even cancer. I discovered a blanket of gases known as the atmosphere surrounding our ... freezing point of water. The ...

• Word Count: 1369
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... to stay on the sunny side of the street while walking. The sun is 93 million miles away from earth and its energy travels to us in moving waves called radiation. The energy becomes heat, light and other energy too. Visible sunlight allows us to see the world around us, but there is invisible sunlight, too. These rays can't be seen, but ... some can be felt as heat. They are called ultraviolet rays, and they are what changes the appearance of the skin, like wrinkles and even cancer. I discovered a blanket of gases known as the atmosphere surrounding our ... freezing point of water. The ...

• Word Count: 1009
• Approx Pages: 4
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School