Electromagnetic Spectrum Webquest Name: George Marquez

Task 1: Tour of the Electromagnetic Spectrum

View the Tour of the Electromagnetic Spectrum video and text on the NASA website and
answer the following questions.
Full URL: https://science.nasa.gov/ems/01_intro
Tiny URL: https://tinyurl.com/jjanotr

Watch the video on the top of the page to answer the following questions.
1. What type of electromagnetic wave spans longer than a mountain range?
The type of electromagnetic wave that spans longer than a mountain range is radio wave.

2. How are electromagnetic waves different from ocean waves?

The electromagnetic waves are different from ocean waves by being able to travel through the vacuum
of space.

3. Which type of wave has the highest frequency?

Gamma Rays.

4. What is the relationship between wavelength and energy?

The relationship between wavelength and energy is the shorter the wavelength the more energy is
produced.

5. Why does a green leaf appear green to our eyes?

The reason a green leaf appears green is because a certain band of EM waves gets bounced off making it
green.

Scroll down to read this page and answer the following questions.
6. What portion of the EM spectrum can the human eye detect?
Only a small portion the human eye can detect.

7. What protects the Earth from dangerous EM waves?

The atmosphere protects Earth.

8. Which 3 types of waves can be harmful to life?

The 3 types of waves are X-ray, Gamma, and Ultraviolet.

9. Why are microwaves idea for transmitting satellite communication signals?

They are used because they can penetrate through clouds.

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Directions: Use the drop-down menu “Electromagnetic Spectrum Series” on the top middle of the screen
to answer the questions about each type of electromagnetic wave. Watch any videos and read the text on
the screen to answer the following questions.

Anatomy
10. What is light made of?
It is made of protons.

11. What is frequency?

It is the number of crests that have passed through a given point in a second.
12. What is the distance between crests called?
The distance between crests is called a Hertz

13. What happens to energy when the wavelength is shortened?

Energy increases.

Radio Waves
14. How does a radio work?

A radio works by receiving the em waves and turning them into vibrations that come out your speaker.

15. What can astronomical objects that have changing magnetic fields do?
They can produce radio waves.

16. Why are radio telescopes much larger than an optical telescope?
They are bigger because they are longer than visible ones.

17. List three astronomical objects that radio waves can detect.
The Sun, Earth, and Jupiter.

Microwaves
18. How does the microwave appliance work?
It works by forcing the water and fat molecules to rotate and make heat.

19. What type of microwaves does a GPS use?

The type of microwaves a GPS uses is a L-band microwave
20. List 3 ways that microwaves are beneficial to society.
Access to Radar, Microwaves, and GPS

Infrared Waves
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21. How do humans detect infrared waves?
Humans detect infrared waves by heat.

22. What 2 technologies help humans detect infrared waves?

Nightvision googles and infrared cameras.

23. Describe the advantage that infrared waves have over visible light waves when observing objects in
space. The advantage that infrared waves have over visible light waves is they are able to see through
dust.

Visible Light Waves

24. Why can humans only see the visible light portion of the EM spectrum?
Humans can only see the visible light portion because

25. Which color of light has the longest wavelength?

Red has the longest wavelength.
26. Which color of light has the shortest wavelength?
Violet has the shortest wavelength.
27. As a flame grows hotter, what color does it change into?
It changes into blue.
28. What acts like fingerprints that identify atoms and molecules?
The pattern of lines in the Spectra.

Ultraviolet Waves
29. What is the source of the full spectrum of UV radiation?
The source of the full spectrum of UV radiation is the Sun.
30. What protects humans from harmful UV-B rays?
The ozone layer protects humans.
31. What do scientists use to sense UV light in space?
They use satellites above earth’s atmosphere.

32. What is the ozone “hole” and how does it affect humans?
The hole in the ozone layer is an area around Antarctica that has less protection from UV rays. It
effects humans when it moves over southern South America.

X-Rays
33. Compare x-rays with UV rays.
X-rays can penetrate through bones and UV rays can’t.

34. Why can we see bones in an x-ray?

We can see bones because they able to absorb more than your skin.

35. What temperature are the objects in space that x-rays come from?
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The temperature is from objects that are millions of degrees Celsius.

36. How does the rover Spirit use x-rays?

It uses x-rays to detect spectral structures of zinc and nickel.

37. How was the image of Cassiopeia A created?

They had different telescopes using certain color lengths to take the photo.

Gamma Rays
38. Compare gamma rays to other waves on the EM spectrum.
Gamma rays are the smallest waves there can be.

39. List 2 objects that produce gamma rays in space.

Neutron Stars, pulsars.

40. List 2 ways that that gamma rays are produced on Earth.
Nuclear explosions and Lightning.

41. How do scientists use gamma rays?

Scientists use gamma rays to look for certain signatures of energy to see elements.

Task 2: Applications of Electromagnetic Waves

View the Uses of EM Waves video by Freesciencelessons on YouTube. As you watch,
complete the task below.
Full URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0iivb-acqU
Tiny URL: https://tinyurl.com/yyvfazar
Type EM Why is this type of wave used for this
How is this wave used?
Wave purpose?
Radio waves are used to transmit radio They are used because they can be
42. Radio
terrestrial TV signals. used over long distances.
Wave
Microwaves are used for heating food. They are used because water absorbs
43. Microwave the energy from microwaves.

Electronic heaters and ovens. They are used because the energy is
44. Infrared
easily absorbed by the surface of
Radiation
objects.
Fiber optics. It can carry lots of information through
45. Visible
light.
Light
Light bulbs. They carry more energy than visible light.
46. Ultraviolet
Light
47. X-Rays & Being able to see bones and cancer Bones absorb xrays and gamma rays
Gamma treatment. can kill cancer cells.
Rays

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Task 3: Electromagnetic Spectrum Practice

Visit the following websites to practice your electromagnetic spectrum skills.

49. Electromagnetic Spectrum Matching Game

Full URL: https://www.quia.com/mc/2726525.html
Tiny URL: https://tinyurl.com/y2r8bjfu

50. Parts of the Electromagnetic Spectrum Point & Click Game

Full URL: https://www.purposegames.com/game/parts-of-the-em-spectrum
Tiny URL: https://tinyurl.com/y2gjembs

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