Try GOLD - Free
HOW WE USE THE ELECTROMAGNETIC SPECTRUM
How It Works UK
|Issue 204
There are few frequencies of electromagnetic radiation we haven't exploited, though some have their dangers...

Radio waves, microwaves, gamma rays... all of these waves are made of the same 'stuff' — oscillating electric and magnetic fields moving at the speed of light. But that doesn't mean they're all alike. The various types of electromagnetic waves have different properties that are determined by their wavelengths — these can vary from the size of galaxies to smaller than the nucleus of an atom. Depending on the wave, they can either carry vast quantities of information or enable us to take a peek inside the human body. They can help us treat cancer and can offer up clues about the origin of the universe. Others help make life on Earth possible, while some can kill us.
HARD X-RAYS
WAVELENGTH: 0.01 TO 0.1 NANOMETRES
Far more penetrating than longer wavelength 'soft' X-rays, so-called hard X-rays can easily pass through materials like clothing or skin. But it’s the fact that they're absorbed by substances like metal and bone that makes them particularly useful for medical imaging and airport scanners.

WAVELENGTH: 280 TO 315 NANOMETRES
This story is from the Issue 204 edition of How It Works UK.
Subscribe to Magzter GOLD to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 10,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
MORE STORIES FROM How It Works UK

How It Works UK
UNCANNY'S DANNY ROBINS
The creator and host of the BBC's Uncanny series tells us about his most chilling experiences while researching the show, and writing a ghost book for children
4 mins
Issue 208

How It Works UK
HOW FEATHERS GROW
A bird's proteinaceous plumage comes from the same source as our hair
1 mins
Issue 208

How It Works UK
New EV battery technology could power 500-mile road trips on a 12-minute charge
Scientists have used a neat chemistry trick to tackle a major challenge facing future batteries.
2 mins
Issue 208

How It Works UK
HOW AIR PURIFIERS WORK
These filtration devices clean a room's air of particles that can make a person sick
1 min
Issue 208

How It Works UK
Chinese scientists hunt for alien radio signals in a 'potentially habitable' star system
TRAPPIST-1 is a red dwarf star located about 40 light years away that hosts seven Earth-sized rocky planets, with at least three orbiting in the habitable zone where liquid water could exist.
2 mins
Issue 208

How It Works UK
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE DIE?
Our bodies are vessels for life, but in death they undergo a cascade of chemical and biological changes
3 mins
Issue 208

How It Works UK
WHY ARE KEYBOARDS QWERTY?
There's a reason why this seemingly random arrangement of letters is widely used on keyboard layouts
1 min
Issue 208

How It Works UK
A 'quasi-moon' discovered in Earth orbit may have been hiding for decades
A new paper describes a possible 'quasi-moon' of Earth, an interloping asteroid that may have been following our planet around for decades, undetected.
1 mins
Issue 208

How It Works UK
WHAT'S AN ANTI-DRONE GUN?
How these devices intercept and disable unmanned aerial vehicles
1 mins
Issue 208

How It Works UK
Dozens of mysterious blobs discovered inside Mars may be 'failed planets'
Giant impact structures, including the potential remains of ancient ‘protoplanets’, may be lurking deep beneath the surface of Mars.
2 mins
Issue 208
Listen
Translate
Change font size