Question
Question: Which electromagnetic waves have the most energy?...
Which electromagnetic waves have the most energy?
Solution
Electromagnetic waves are formed when electric field comes in contact with magnetic field and also electromagnetic waves are the synchronized oscillations of magnetic and electric field. Electromagnetic waves include or consist of gamma rays, microwaves, infrared, radio waves, UV-rays and X-rays.
Complete step-by-step solution:
In the electromagnetic spectrum the electromagnetic waves are arranged according to their frequencies and also with respect to their wavelength .The frequency range in the electromagnetic spectrum is divided into different bands and these bands are called by different names.
In electromagnetic spectrum radio waves which come first in the spectrum by having low frequency and long wavelength and gamma rays which come last in the spectrum by having high frequencies and short wavelength.
Radio waves will have lowest energy ranging from 1.24μeV−124feV and microwaves have energy little more than the radio waves
Infrared have energy ranging from 1.7eV−1.24meV and visible ray has energy ranging from 3.3eV−1.7eV
Ultraviolet and X-ray are having energy less than gamma ray.
Gamma rays which are formed in the radioactive decay will have energy ranging from kiloelectron volts to 8 megaelectronvolts.
Gamma rays are produced by four different nuclear reactions and the four nuclear reactions are nuclear fission, nuclear fusion, gamma decay and alpha decay.
Gamma rays are used to treat cancer.
So gamma rays of electromagnetic waves will have the most energy.
Note: Student’s electromagnetic waves in vacuum travel at the speed of light and the position in the electromagnetic spectrum of electromagnetic waves are characterized based on their frequency or else by the wavelength. The universe will generate the biggest gamma ray and Paul Villard discovered gamma radiation.