

Ionizing radiation is a very high-energy form of electromagnetic radiation. Familiar radiations are heat, light, radio waves, and microwaves. Radiation - energy moving in the form of particles or waves. High temperatures, electrical discharges, or nuclear radiation can cause ionization. Ionization – the process of adding one or more electrons to, or removing one or more electrons from atoms or molecules, thereby creating ions.

See also alpha particle, beta particle, gamma ray, neutron, x-ray.
#Radio waves are larger than light waves skin
High doses of ionizing radiation may produce severe skin or tissue damage. Ionizing radiation - any radiation capable of displacing electrons from atoms, thereby producing ions. The lower the frequency of the radiation, the lower its energy. To learn more about what happens to an ionized atom, click hereįrequency – How rapidly waves move or ‘oscillate’ up and down. Ionization is a unique property that other forms of radiation at lower frequencies, such as those from our cell phones, do not have.įor more information on non-ionizing radiation, click here When most people talk about radiation, they are referring to ionizing radiation.įor more information on ionizing radiation, click here That’s why we refer to these as ionizing radiation. X-rays and gamma rays have enough energy that during interaction with atoms, they can remove electrons and cause the atom to become charged or ionized. These are all forms of radiation with energies much higher than visible light. Īs we move up in frequency from purple light, there are These are all forms of radiation that are invisible to our eyes and that have less energy than visible light. The visible part of the spectrum is only a tiny part of this wide range of energies.Īs we move down in frequency from red light, there are other familiar forms of electromagnetic radiation: There is a wide range of electromagnetic radiation in nature. Red light, for example, has less energy than purple light. The only difference between various colors of light, red, yellow, green, blue, and purple is in their wavelength or frequency, or in other words in their energy. We can detect this radiation with our eyes. Light is energy that originates from a source and travels through space at the speed of … light! It has a particular wavelength and frequency that defines its energy. The most common form of radiation we are all familiar with is visible light.
