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Waves Reading Passage
Waves Reading Passage
are
waves?
Waves
are
all
around
us!
Whenever
you
watch
TV,
send
a
text
message,
or
heat
food
in
a
microwave,
you
are
using
waves.
Some
waves,
like
sound
waves,
need
molecules
to
travel
through.
This
is
why
you
can
hear
sound
in
our
atmosphere
but
not
in
space.
Some
waves,
however,
do
not
need
molecules
to
travel.
These
waves
are
called
electromagnetic
waves.
The
word
electromagnetic
comes
from
the
two
words
electricity
and
magnetism.
When
an
electric
field
and
magnetic
field
move
together,
they
make
waves
-
electromagnetic
waves!
There
are
many
types
of
waves
along
the
electromagnetic
spectrum,
from
very
long
radio
waves
to
very
short
gamma
rays.
They
differ
from
each
other
in
wavelength.
Wavelength
is
the
distance
between
one
wave
crest
to
the
next.
Radio
Waves
Radio
waves
have
the
longest
wavelengths
in
the
electromagnetic
spectrum.
They
can
be
as
large
as
a
football
field
to
larger
then
our
planet!
They
have
the
lowest
frequency
of
all
the
electromagnetic
waves.
Radio
waves
can
be
used
for
televisions,
radio
stations,
and
cell
phone
signals.
Because
radio
waves
arent
blocked
by
sunlight,
clouds,
and
rain,
they
are
very
useful
to
scientists
studying
space.
Radio
telescopes
are
used
to
view
planets,
comets,
giant
clouds
of
gas
and
dust,
stars,
and
galaxies.
By
studying
the
radio
waves
originating
from
these
sources,
astronomers
can
learn
about
their
composition
(what
they
are
made
of)
and
their
motion.
We
also
use
these
radio
waves
to
send
messages
to
our
spacecraft
and
receive
information
from
their
scientific
instruments.
Microwaves
Microwaves
are
higher
frequency
then
radio
waves.
They
range
in
size
from
about
1
millimeter
(thats
about
the
size
of
a
sharp
pencil
point)
to
about
1
foot
long.
You
are
probably
most
familiar
with
them
when
you
heat
your
food
up
in
a
microwave,
but
they
have
a
lot
more
uses
including
weather
forecasting
and
cell
phones!
Microwaves
can
even
pass
through
clouds,
which
make
them
an
excellent
wavelength
for
transmitting
satellite
communications.
Infrared
Waves
A
remote
control
uses
light
waves
just
beyond
the
visible
spectrum
of
lightinfrared
light
wavesto
change
channels
on
your
TV.
Infrared
waves
are
about
the
length
of
a
grain
of
sand.
While
we
cannot
see
infrared,
we
can
sense
some
of
the
energy
as
heat.
Some
objects,
such
as
a
fire,
are
so
hot
they
also
emit
visible
light.
Other
objects
are
not
as
hot
and
only
emit
only
infrared
waves.
Infrared
energy
can
reveal
objects
in
the
universe
that
cannot
be
seen
in
visible
light
using
optical
telescopes.
Many
objects
in
space
are
also
too
cool
and
faint
to
be
detected
in
visible
light
but
can
be
detected
in
the
infrared.
Visible
Light
All
electromagnetic
radiation
is
light,
but
we
can
only
see
a
small
portion
of
this
radiation.
This
is
the
part
of
the
spectrum
we
call
visible
light.
Each
color
of
the
visible
light
spectrum
has
a
different
wavelength.
This
is
why
when
white
light
travels
through
a
prism,
the
wavelengths
separate
into
the
colors
of
the
rainbow.
Violet
has
the
shortest
wavelength
and
red
has
the
longest
wavelength.
The
Sun
is
the
dominant
source
for
visible-light
waves
our
eyes
receive.
Most
of
the
information
we
collect
on
a
day
to
day
basis
is
from
the
visible
light
part
of
the
spectrum.
Most
light
sources
give
out
pure
white
light,
but
white
light
is
made
up
of
three
different
colors,
red,
green
and
blue.
Visible
light
telescopes
or
optical
telescopes
gather
and
magnify
visible
light
that
our
eyes
can
see.
Using
special
cameras
that
work
similar
to
how
digital
cameras
work,
astronomers
can
photograph
planets,
stars,
and
galaxies.
Optical
telescopes
have
been
used
on
Earth
for
many
years,
but
they
work
best
when
they
are
in
space
above
the
Earths
atmosphere
which
can
alter
the
light.
Ultraviolet
Ultraviolet
(UV)
light
has
shorter
wavelengths
than
visible
light
and
a
high
frequency.
Although
UV
waves
are
invisible
to
the
human
eye,
some
animals,
such
as
bumblebees,
reptiles,
and
some
birds,
can
see
them.
In
fact,
humans
used
this
knowledge
to
create
bug
zappers,
a
UV
light
that
attracts
insect
and
lures
them
into
a
trap!
Ultraviolet
radiation
from
the
sun
penetrates
our
skin,
and
can
cause
sunburn
or
even
worse,
skin
cancer.
Sunscreens
help
prevent
the
rays
from
harming
us.
Tanning
beds
also
release
ultraviolet
waves
that
can
damage
the
skin.
Young
stars
shine
most
of
their
light
in
the
ultraviolet
wavelength,
so
scientists
are
able
to
study
the
formation
of
new
stars
using
ultraviolet
telescopes.
Since
very
little
ultraviolet
energy
gets
through
Earth's
atmosphere,
Ultraviolet
telescopes
must
be
orbiting
in
space.
X-rays
X-rays
have
much
higher
energy
and
much
shorter
wavelengths
than
ultraviolet
light.
X-rays
have
very
small
wavelengths,
so
small
that
some
x-rays
are
no
bigger
than
a
single
atom
of
many
elements.
When
you
get
an
x-ray
taken,
x-ray
sensitive
film
is
put
on
one
side
of
your
body,
and
x-rays
are
aimed
through
the
other
side
of
your
body.
Because
bones
are
so
dense,
they
absorb
more
x-rays
than
skin
does
creating
shadows
of
the
on
the
x-ray
film
while
the
skin
appears
transparent.
Earth's
atmosphere
blocks
x-ray
radiation.
This
is
beneficial
for
us
here
on
Earth,
because
x-rays
are
so
energetic
that
they
would
harm
almost
every
living
thing
on
earth!
Telescopes
with
x-ray
detectors
must
be
positioned
above
Earth's
atmosphere.
Such
measurements
can
provide
clues
about
the
composition,
temperature,
and
density
of
distant
objects
Gamma
Rays
Gamma
rays
have
the
smallest
wavelengths
and
the
most
energy
of
all
the
waves
in
the
electromagnetic
spectrum.
They
are
produced
by
the
hottest
and
most
energetic
objects
in
the
universe,
such
as
supernova
explosions,
and
black
holes.
On
Earth,
gamma
waves
are
created
by
nuclear
explosions,
lightning,
and
radioactive
decay.
Gamma
rays
are
ionizing,
which
means
that
they
have
such
high
energy
that
they
can
knock
electrons
out
of
atoms.
Exposure
to
these
high-energy
waves
can
cause
damage
to
cells
in
living
things.
Sometimes,
though,
these
changes
to
cells
can
be
helpful.
Gamma
radiation
is
used
to
kill
cancer
cells.
Gamma-ray
bursts
are
the
most
energetic
and
luminous
electromagnetic
events
and
can
release
more
energy
in
10
seconds
than
our
Sun
will
emit
in
its
entire
10-billion-year
expected
lifetime!
Scientists
can
use
gamma
rays
to
determine
the
elements
on
other
planets.
This
data
can
help
scientists
look
for
geologically
important
elements
such
as
hydrogen,
magnesium,
silicon,
oxygen,
iron,
titanium,
sodium,
and
calcium.