Making Waves

The electromagnetic magnetic spectrum is the range of radiated waves that can travel without a medium, the majority of which are not visible to the naked eye. These waves range from radio waves, with the largest wavelength and smallest frequency, to gamma waves, with the smallest wavelength and highest frequency. The electromagnetic waves, from lowest to highest energy, are radio, microwave, infrared, visible, ultraviolet, X-rays, and gamma. The waves with the most energy are radiated from the hottest particles. The characteristics of electromagnetic waves are that they are all transverse waves, they all travel at the speed of light (unless impeded by mediums such as water or glass), they can be reflected and refracted,  they can transfer energy from one place to another, matter can make and absorb electromagnetic waves, frequency is constant regardless of the medium the electromagnetic waves are travelling through, they don't have a charge, and their velocity is equal to the product of the waves' frequency and wavelength in the specified medium.

Ultraviolet electromagnetic waves are the next most energetic electromagnetic waves after the visible spectrum of light. The sun is the Earth's main source of ultraviolet radiation, but other sources include other stars and hot cosmic objects. The wavelength of ultraviolet waves ranges from l00 nanometers to up to 420 nm. The frequency of ultraviolet waves is between 7.5 X 10^14 and 3 X 10^16 Hertz. UV rays are extremely familiar to the majority of humanity, because they are what causes sunburns, and even skin cancer. It can also cause cataracts, a weakened immune system and premature aging. Despite its dangerous qualities, it also has useful applications. For example, UV lights can be used to solve crimes by aiding crime scene analysts in finding organic materials, such as DNA. Ultraviolet radiation can be used for medical purposes in several helpful scientific studies.

Gamma rays are the most energentic out of all the waves in the electromagnetic spectrum. Their frequency can be up to 10^27 Hz, and their wavelength is from 10 to 11 meters. Gamma rays are highly radioactive, so they don't occur often in everyday life, but they are commonly used by the medical community to combat cancer and sterlize equipment, and by the scientific community to map stars and other objects in space.

Bibliography:

http://www.universetoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/gamma-ray-burst.jpg

http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/science/know_l1/emspectrum.html

http://missionscience.nasa.gov/ems/01_intro.html

http://hypertextbook.com/facts/2000/ElaineLo.shtml

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electromagnetic_spectrum

http://alexis.m2osw.com/images/sun_ultraviolet.jpg