Radio Waves Facts

Radio Waves Facts
Radio waves are electromagnetic waves, not sound waves as many people believe. Radio waves are considered to be one of human's most important discoveries as it made communication much more efficient. A radio wave is created when an electric field and magnetic field join. Radio waves travel very fast - at the speed of light. If you turn on a radio, the radio receives the radio waves in the air and converts them into an electrical signal, which is converted to sound waves, and the radio amplifier then boosts the sound waves so that you can hear the music.
Interesting Radio Waves Facts:
It was Clerk Maxwell in the 1860s that first predicted that radio waves existed. His theory is called Maxwell's equations and described radio and light waves to be electromagnetism waves that were traveling through space.
Heinrich Hertz demonstrated radio waves in his lab in 1887. A Hertz is a radio wave unit of measurement as is named after Heinrich Hertz.
In the 1890s Guglielmo Marconi created the first practical and usable radio transmitter and receiver.
Radio waves are not the only type of electromagnetic wave. Other types include radar, bluetooth, ultraviolet light waves, microwaves, x-rays, and infrared.
A radio wave is broadcast in different frequencies which can include FM radio waves that broadcast between 88 MHz and 108 MHz, and AM radio waves that broadcast between 550 kHz and 1600 kHz.
Wi-fi uses radio waves that are routed through a wireless internet router using radio waves in frequencies between 2.4 and 5.8 GHz.
It is believed that radio waves will travel forever unless something absorbs the waves. If this is true and if there are other life forms in other places of the universe it is possible that radio waves from earth have been heard on other planets.
Radio waves will bounce off items if not absorbed. This means radio waves can bounce off the ground or a cloud or any electric conductor object.
A text message being sent from a cell phone to another cell phone is a radio wave. The radio wave leaves the sender's cell phone and is sent to a tower that sends the wave to the recipient of the text. These are all unique radio waves being sent which makes it possible to reach the right person.
A radio wave can be very short or very long. Wavelengths can reach 62 miles.
In 1932 it was discovered that astronomical objects emit radio waves, and a system has been developed that makes it possible to create pictures from the radio waves. Astronomers use radio telescopes to study the radio waves being emitted from planets, dust, stars, gas clouds, comets, and other galaxies.
At astronomy observatories they use diesel cars instead of gas powered cars. Gas powered cars create sparks that interfere with the observations.
When a radio wave is received in a radio the tuner is what makes it possible to pick up a specific radio station because it makes it possible to listen to particular radio waves and tune out others.


Related Links:
Facts
Science Facts
Animals Facts
Science Reading Comprehension
Science Inventions
Inverse Square Law Formula
Radio
Transverse Waves Examples
Jagadish Chandra Bose Facts
Microwaves Facts
Electromagnetic Energy Examples
CTscan vs. MRI
Remote Controls
Global Positioning System - History of Global Positioning System
Metal Detector - History of Metal Detector