Lesson

Light as an Electromagnetic
1 Wave

This lesson will explore the different types of electromagnetic waves and how
electromagnetic waves differ from mechanical waves in that they do not require a medium
to propagate. This means that electromagnetic waves can travel not only through air and
solid materials, but also through vacuum of space.
The learner is expected to summarize the relationship between electricity and
magnetism into what are now referred to as “Maxwell’s equation” by Scottish scientist
named James Maxwell.

What I Need to Know

After this lesson, you should be able to:
1. Relate the properties of EM wave (wavelength, frequency, speed) and the
properties of vacuum and optical medium (permittivity, permeability, and index of
refraction) STEM_GP12OPTIVb-12

What’s New

Electromagnetic waves
Electromagnetic waves are transverse waves with a wide range of properties and
uses. Some of the waves are also hazardous to human body tissues. Their vibrations
or oscillations are changes in electrical and magnetic fields at right angles to the direction
of wave travel. Electromagnetic waves travel at 300,000,000 meters per second (m/s)
through a vacuum.
All electromagnetic waves:

• transfer energy from the source of the waves to an absorber.

• can travel through a vacuum such as in space.
• all travel at the same velocity through a vacuum.
 Electromagnetic spectrum
Electromagnetic waves form a continuous spectrum of waves. This includes:

• waves with a very short wavelength, high frequency and high energy
• waves with a very long wavelength, low frequency and low energy
Electromagnetic waves can be separated into seven distinct groups in the spectrum.

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Each group contains a range of frequencies. For example, visible light contains all the
frequencies that can be detected by the human eye:

• red light has the lowest frequencies of visible light

• violet light has the highest frequencies of visible light

The behavior of an electromagnetic wave in a substance depends on

its frequency or wavelength. The differing behaviors of different groups in the
electromagnetic spectrum make them suitable for a range of uses.
 All electromagnetic waves are light, but the band of the electromagnetic spectrum
that people and animals can see is called visible light. When a beam of light passes
through a prism, a person can see each colour of the rainbow separated into their
individual wavelengths.
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Red, the longest of the wavelengths, measures around 700 nanometers; yellow is
around 600 nanometers; and violet, the shortest, is around 400 nanometers in length.
Describing Electromagnetic Energy
The terms of light, electromagnetic waves, and radiation all refer to the same physical
phenomenon: electromagnetic energy. This energy can be described by frequency,
wavelength, or energy. All three are related mathematically such that if you know one,
you can calculate the other two. Radio and microwaves are usually described in terms of
frequency (Hertz), infrared and visible light in terms of wavelength (meters), and x-rays
and gamma rays in terms of energy (electron volts). This scientific convention that allows
the convenient use of units that have numbers that are neither too large nor too small.

Frequency
The number of crests that pass a given point within one second is described as the
frequency of the eave. One wave – one cycle – per second is called a Hertz(Hz), after
Heinrich Hertz who established the existence of radio waves. A wave with two cycles that
pass a point in one second has a frequency of 2 Hz.

Wavelength
Electromagnetic waves have crests and troughs similar to those of ocean waves. The
distance between crests is the wavelength. The shortest wavelengths are just fractions
of the size of an atom, while the longest wavelengths scientists currently study can be
larger than the diameter of our planet.
Energy
An electromagnetic wave can also be described in terms of its energy – in units of
measure called electron volts (eV). An electron volt is the amount of kinetic energy
needed to move an electron through one-volt potential. Moving along the spectrum from
long to short wavelengths, energy increases as the wavelength shortens. Consider a
jumping rope with its ends being pulled up and down. More energy is needed to make the
rope have more waves.

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 What Is It
Maxwell’s Synthesis of Electricity of Electricity, Magnetism and Optics
In 1873, seventy years after Thomas Young presented his experimental results on
the nature of light, a Scottish physicist named James Clerk Maxwell published
a theory that accounted for the physical origins of light. Throughout the nineteenth
century, many of science's greatest minds dedicated themselves to the study of two
exciting new ideas: electricity and magnetism. Maxwell's work synthesized these two
ideas, which had previously been considered separate phenomena. His new theory was
aptly named a theory of “electromagnetism”.

Maxwell and other physicists began exploring their implications and testing their
predictions. One prediction that came from Maxwell's equations was that
a charge moving back and forth in a periodic fashion would create an oscillating electric
field. This electric field would then set up a periodically changing magnetic field, which in
turn would cause the original electric field to continue its oscillation, and so on. This
mutual vibration allowed the electric and magnetic fields to travel through space in the
form of an "electromagnetic wave," as shown below:

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Because this new mathematical model of electromagnetism described a wave,

physicists were able to imagine that electromagnetic radiation could take on the
properties of waves. Thus, just like all waves, Maxwell's electromagnetic waves could
have a range of wavelengths and corresponding frequencies.

This range of wavelengths is now known as the "electromagnetic spectrum."

Maxwell's theory also predicted that all the waves in the spectrum travel at a characteristic
speed of approximately 300,000,000 meters per second. Maxwell was able to calculate
this speed from his equations:
𝟏
𝒄= = 𝟐. 𝟗𝟗𝟖 × 𝟏𝟎𝟖 𝒎/𝒔
√𝜺𝒐 𝝁𝒐

Where ,
c= speed of the electromagnetic wave
𝜺𝒐 = permittivity of free space (8.854×10−12 F/m)
𝝁𝒐 = permeability of free space (4π×10−7 N/A2 )
Maxwell's calculation of the speed of an electromagnetic wave included two
important constants: the permittivity and permeability of free space.

The permittivity of free space is also known as the "electric constant" and
describes the strength of the electrical force between two charged particles in a vacuum.
The permeability of free space is the magnetic analogue of the electric constant. It
describes the strength of the magnetic force on an object in a magnetic field.

Thus, the speed of an electromagnetic wave comes directly from a fundamental

consideration of electricity and magnetism.

When Maxwell calculated this speed, he realized that it was extremely close to the
measured value for the speed of light, which had been known for centuries from detailed
astronomical observations. After Maxwell's equations became widely known, the Polish-
American physicist Albert Michelson made a very precise measurement of the speed of
light that was in extremely close agreement with Maxwell's predicted value. This was too
much for Maxwell to accept as coincidence and led him to the realization that light was
an electromagnetic wave and thus part of the electromagnetic spectrum.