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Radio Waves

Radio waves are made by oscillating charges

  • EM waves are made up of oscillating electric and magnetic fields

  • Alternating currents are made up of oscillating charges. As the charges oscillate, they produce oscillating electric and magnetic fields

  • The frequency of the waves produced will be equal to the frequency of the alternating current

  • You can produce radio waves using an alternating current in an electrical circuit. The object in which charges oscillate to create the radio waves is called a transmitter

  • When transmitted radio waves reach a receiver, the radio waves are absorbed

  • The energy carried by the waves is transferred to the electrons in the material of the receiver

  • This energy causes the electrons to oscillate and, if the receiver is par5t of a complete electrical circuit, it generates an alternating current

This current has the same frequency as the radio waves that generated it

Radio waves are used mainly for communication

  • Radio waves are EM radiation with wavelengths longer than about 10cm

  • Long-wave radio can be transmitted from London, say, and received halfway round the world. That’s because long wavelengths diffract around the curved surface of the Earth. Long-wave radio wavelengths can also diffract around hills, into tunnels and all sorts

  • This makes it possible for radio signal to be received even if the receiver isn’t in line of the sight of the transmitter

  • Short-wave radio signals can, like long-wave, be received at long distances from the transmitter. This is because they are reflected from the ionosphere, an electrically charged layer in the Earth’s upper atmosphere

  • Bluetooth uses short-wave radio waves to send data over short distances between devices without wires

  • Medium-wave signal can slo reflect from the ionosphere, depending on atmospheric conditions and the time of day

  • The radio waves used for TV and FM radio transmission have very short wavelengths. To get reception, you must be in direct sight of the transmitter-the signal doesn’t bend or travel far through buildings

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Radio Waves

Radio waves are made by oscillating charges

  • EM waves are made up of oscillating electric and magnetic fields

  • Alternating currents are made up of oscillating charges. As the charges oscillate, they produce oscillating electric and magnetic fields

  • The frequency of the waves produced will be equal to the frequency of the alternating current

  • You can produce radio waves using an alternating current in an electrical circuit. The object in which charges oscillate to create the radio waves is called a transmitter

  • When transmitted radio waves reach a receiver, the radio waves are absorbed

  • The energy carried by the waves is transferred to the electrons in the material of the receiver

  • This energy causes the electrons to oscillate and, if the receiver is par5t of a complete electrical circuit, it generates an alternating current

This current has the same frequency as the radio waves that generated it

Radio waves are used mainly for communication

  • Radio waves are EM radiation with wavelengths longer than about 10cm

  • Long-wave radio can be transmitted from London, say, and received halfway round the world. That’s because long wavelengths diffract around the curved surface of the Earth. Long-wave radio wavelengths can also diffract around hills, into tunnels and all sorts

  • This makes it possible for radio signal to be received even if the receiver isn’t in line of the sight of the transmitter

  • Short-wave radio signals can, like long-wave, be received at long distances from the transmitter. This is because they are reflected from the ionosphere, an electrically charged layer in the Earth’s upper atmosphere

  • Bluetooth uses short-wave radio waves to send data over short distances between devices without wires

  • Medium-wave signal can slo reflect from the ionosphere, depending on atmospheric conditions and the time of day

  • The radio waves used for TV and FM radio transmission have very short wavelengths. To get reception, you must be in direct sight of the transmitter-the signal doesn’t bend or travel far through buildings