Question

practice 4: organize the following areas of electromagnetic radiation from lowest to highest energy. 1 = lowest

1. gamma rays
2. visible light
3. infrared (ir)
4. radio
5. ultra - low frequencies (ulf)

Explanation:

Step1: Recall the energy - wavelength relationship

The energy of electromagnetic radiation is given by \(E = h
u=\frac{hc}{\lambda}\), where \(h\) is Planck's constant, \(c\) is the speed of light, \(
u\) is the frequency and \(\lambda\) is the wavelength. Energy is inversely proportional to wavelength (\(E\propto\frac{1}{\lambda}\)). Longer - wavelength radiation has lower energy.

Step2: Order the radiations by wavelength

Ultra - low frequencies (ULF) have the longest wavelength among the given radiations. Then comes radio waves, followed by infrared (IR), then visible light, and gamma rays have the shortest wavelength.

Step3: Assign the order based on energy

Since \(E\propto\frac{1}{\lambda}\), the order from lowest to highest energy is based on the reverse order of wavelength.

Answer:

1. Ultra - low frequencies (ULF)
2. Radio
3. Infrared (IR)
4. Visible light
5. Gamma rays