Radiation is a source of energy that can travel through space. Radiation does not need any medium to travel through...it can travel by waves through massive amounts of space. Radiation can even pass through a vacuum of space where there is only the teeniest of matter. Radiation is a wave of particles of light called photons. They come out of the sun, your oven, light from a fire pit and light from a lamp. If you are feeling a little bit of warmth on your skin, you are receiving radiation waves. Radiation can be dangerous if it is "ionizing" radiation. The EM waves we receive from the sun are "non-ionizing". When do EM waves get really dangerous? Yep, x-rays and gamma rays. It's all about the size and frequency of the wavelength. We are constantly bombarded by electromagnetic waves that simply pass through us or go around us without any harm. These include radio waves, microwaves, and more. Our entire universe is full of radiation. In fact, your TV even picks up some of the radiation left over form the Big Bang! There is no escaping it. We are very lucky to live as far away from the sun as we do because the radiation from the sun has time to cool before we get it. (Not like Mercury....who really gets it!) Some great examples of radiation: Radiation is very helpful once you understand its power!
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Mrs. TaylorI love science! Everything about the world is interesting and never boring. I love to study plants, animals, insects, and people. My favorite subjects are my students who are the most unique organisms on the planet! Categories |