Anyone know much about them? I'm still trying to figure out stuff about what they are and how they work. Some physics graduate when I asked him what they are made of said "electromagnetic fields" but that doesn't really answer my question, what are they made of physically? There must be something that hits the antenna which comes out as a pattern of sound, which is it a pattern of that hits the antenna? And where does frequency come into it, when you change the frequency to tune into another channel how does the antenna/radio adjust to pick up the waves that occur that frequently?
Also, the visible light spectrum is part of the EM spectrum and light is made of photons, and radio also travels at the same speed as light, so are all EM waves made of photons? If so then where does the electromagnetic part come into it? Electrons produce photons, is that the only correlation?
They also talk about how EM waves have length, thus implying they are some kind of physical object if they can have length, if you could see a radio wave, what would it look like? A wave going up and down like in a graph on paper?
Electromagnetic waves?
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Luke Starkiller
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The problem with understanding light (by this I mean all EM radiation) is that it will act in certain circumstances as a particle, the photon, and in some cases as a wave, codependant changing magnetic and electric fields.
Electrons produce photons when they move from a high energy state to a lower one, and absorb a photon in order to move from a low energy state to a higher one.
Electrons produce photons when they move from a high energy state to a lower one, and absorb a photon in order to move from a low energy state to a higher one.
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Wicked Pilot
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It's not worth it man. It has been my experience that everytime you find an answer to a question about electromagnetics, you find yourself with five more harder questions. This part of physics is like a bottomless pit. It just keeps getting deeper and deeper.
The most basic assumption about the world is that it does not contradict itself.
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omegaLancer
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well
well light is the oscillation of the electromagnetic fields ( it both the magnetic and electrical fields oscillating at right angle tp each other) the photon is a particle that represent a point of these fields or can be said is emitted by the interaction of these two fields.. Its behavior is said to be dual, meaning it can behave under certain conditions as a particle and other as a wave..
The fact is that electron, protons and other subatomic particles also show this behavior.. The fact is these particles too have wave function.. Apparentily the wave function is not a true wave, but represent the possiblitily of the particle location as a function of time ( We can consider this the same for photon) and are product of the particle properties ( mass, spin,ect...)
Also it said that all particles too have field ( electron, quarks,etc) and they can be viewed as point on their field also...
The best way to look at light is that it a packet of electromagnetic energy who's course is guide by its wave function or more accuratily it possibilitily function... The fact is that the fields involved are made up of virtuals photon, and by oscilliating them you give the virtual photons the energy they need to become real...
that as simple as i can make it. hopes it helps
The fact is that electron, protons and other subatomic particles also show this behavior.. The fact is these particles too have wave function.. Apparentily the wave function is not a true wave, but represent the possiblitily of the particle location as a function of time ( We can consider this the same for photon) and are product of the particle properties ( mass, spin,ect...)
Also it said that all particles too have field ( electron, quarks,etc) and they can be viewed as point on their field also...
The best way to look at light is that it a packet of electromagnetic energy who's course is guide by its wave function or more accuratily it possibilitily function... The fact is that the fields involved are made up of virtuals photon, and by oscilliating them you give the virtual photons the energy they need to become real...
that as simple as i can make it. hopes it helps
I thought photons are produced when an electron dumps the extra energy. Just what though are EM waves made of physically? I've heard people refer to them as "airwaves" but that's not really correct since they can exist where(and do exist where) there is no air so I guess my guess about electrons vibrating out in a wave pattern was incorrect. They talk about how they can have length, but length is a physical property, thus implying there are physical things.
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omegaLancer
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The electron
As I said eariler Photons are bundle of electromagnetic energy ( a simple explaination) the energy is generated by the oscillation of electical fields ( charges) and Magnetic fields.
. Both fields are made up of virtual photons .. When you bump ( actually accelerate or deccelerate an electron) you are oscillating the fields associate with the electron Giving the Virtual photon energy to become real....
since the electron has a charge it can be view as the center point of an electrical field, and magnetic field...
. Both fields are made up of virtual photons .. When you bump ( actually accelerate or deccelerate an electron) you are oscillating the fields associate with the electron Giving the Virtual photon energy to become real....
since the electron has a charge it can be view as the center point of an electrical field, and magnetic field...