List the following types of electromagnetic radiation in order of...

Question

List the following types of electromagnetic radiation in order of increasing wavelength: (a) the gamma rays produced by a radioactive nuclide used in medical imaging; (b) radiation from an FM radio station at 93.1 MHz on the dial; (c) a radio signal from an AM radio station at 680 kHz on the dial; (d) the yellow light from sodium vapor streetlights; (e) the red light of a light-emitting diode, such as in a calculator display.

Accepted Answer

Step 1: Understand that electromagnetic radiation can be ordered by wavelength, frequency, or energy. Wavelength and frequency are inversely related, meaning as wavelength increases, frequency decreases.. Step 2: Identify the given types of electromagnetic radiation and their typical wavelength ranges: (a) Gamma rays have very short wavelengths, (b) FM radio waves have longer wavelengths than gamma rays, (c) AM radio waves have even longer wavelengths than FM radio waves, (d) Yellow light has a wavelength in the visible spectrum, shorter than radio waves but longer than gamma rays, (e) Red light also falls in the visible spectrum, with a longer wavelength than yellow light.. Step 3: Convert the frequencies of the radio waves to wavelengths using the formula $ \lambda = \frac{c}{f} $, where $ \lambda $ is the wavelength, $ c $ is the speed of light (approximately $ 3.00 \times 10^8 $ m/s), and $ f $ is the frequency.. Step 4: Compare the calculated wavelengths of the FM and AM radio waves with the known ranges of gamma rays, yellow light, and red light to establish the order of increasing wavelength.. Step 5: List the types of radiation in order of increasing wavelength based on your comparisons: gamma rays, yellow light, red light, FM radio waves, AM radio waves.

Key Concepts

Electromagnetic Spectrum

Wavelength and Frequency Relationship

Types of Electromagnetic Radiation