ASSIGNMENT

CH 8 – ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVES CLASS XII

Important Board Questions

Q.1- How do you convince yourself that electromagnetic waves carry energy and momentum?

Q.2- (a) Which of the following, if any, can act as a source of electromagnetic waves?
i) A charge moving with a constant velocity.
ii) A charge moving in a circular orbit.
iii) A charge at rest. Give reason.
(b) Identify the part of the electromagnetic spectrum, to which waves of frequency
i) 10 20 Hz,
ii) 109 Hz belong.

Q.3- Give four basic properties of electromagnetic waves.

Q.4- Let the wavelengths of the electromagnetic waves used quite often for
i) Killing germs in household water purifiers
ii) Remote sensing
iii) Treatment of cancer
be labeled as λ1, λ2 and λ3. Arrange λ1, λ2 and λ3 in increasing order.

Q.5- Name the electromagnetic waves which are suitable for radar systems used in aircraft navigation. Write
the range of frequency of these waves.

Q.6- Out of microwaves, ultraviolet rays and infra-red rays, which radiation will be most effective for emission
of electrons from a metallic surface?

Q.7- State the principle of production of electromagnetic waves. What is the value of the velocity of these
waves?

Q.8- What does an electromagnetic wave consist of? On what factor does its velocity in vacuum depend?

Q.9- What oscillates in electromagnetic waves? Are these waves transverse or longitudinal?

Q.10- An electromagnetic wave consists of oscillating electric and magnetic fields. What is the phase
relationship between these oscillations?

Q.11- What is displacement current due to?

Q.12- A capacitor of capacitance C is being charged up by connecting it across a d.c. voltage source of
voltage V. How do the conduction and displacement currents changes?
(a) during the charging up process?
(b) after the capacitor gets fully charged?

Q.13- A variable frequency a.c. source is connected to a capacitor. How will the displacement current
change with decrease in frequency?

Q.14- What is electromagnetic spectrum? Name its main parts, giving the frequency range and source of
production in each case. Also give one important use of each part.
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CH 8 – ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVES CLASS XII
Q.15- How electromagnetic waves are produced? What is the source of energy of these waves? Write
mathematical expressions for electric and magnetic fields of an electromagnetic wave propagation along
the z-axis. Write any two important properties of electromagnetic waves.

Q.16- (a) Which segment of electromagnetic waves has highest frequency? How are these waves
produced? Give one use of these waves.
(b) Which electromagnetic waves lie near the high frequency end of visible part of electromagnetic
spectrum? Give its one use. In what ways these components of light have harmful effect on humans?
Q.17- Give four characteristics of displacement current.
Q.18- Name the characteristic of electromagnetic waves that:
i. increases;
ii. remains constant in the electromagnetic spectrum as one moves from radio wave region towards
ultraviolet region.
Q.19- What is electromagnetic spectrum?
Q.20- Do electromagnetic waves carry energy and momentum?

Q.21- Find the wavelength of the electromagnetic waves of frequency 5× 1019 Hz. Give its two applications.

Q.22- Find the wavelength of the electromagnetic waves of frequency 4× 109 Hz in free space. Give its two
applications.
Q.23- Arrange the following electromagnetic waves in the order of their increasing wavelength:
(a) γ-rays (b) Microwaves (c) X-rays (d) Radio waves

Q.24- Electromagnetic waves travel in a medium at a speed of 2.0× 108 m . The relative permeability of the
medium 1. Find the relative permittivity.

Q.25- How does a charge ‘q’ oscillating at a certain frequency produce electromagnetic waves?
Sketch a schematic diagram depicting electric and magnetic fields for an electromagnetic wave
propagating along the Z-direction.

Q.26- Mention the various properties of electromagnetic waves.

Displacement Current
The current which comes into play in the region in which the electric field and the electric flux is changing
with time. It is given by

The current between the plates of capacitors is displacement current.

Need for Displacement Current

Ampere’s circuital law for conduction current during charging of a capacitor was found inconsistent.
Therefore, Maxwell modified Ampere’s circuital law.

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The displacement current produces in space due to change of electric flux linked with the surface. This
reveals that, varying electric field is the source of magnetic field.

Maxwell’s Equations of Electromagnetic Waves Maxwell’s equations are the basic laws of electricity and
magnetism. These equations give complete description of ail electromagnetic interactions.
There are four Maxwell’s equations which are explained below:

Electromagnetic Waves An electromagnetic wave is a wave radiated by an accelerated or oscillatory

charge in which varying magnetic field is the source of electric field and varying electric field is the source
of magnetic field. Thus two fields becomes source of each other and the wave propagates in a direction
perpendicular to both the fields.

➢ Electromagnetic waves are those waves in which electric and magnetic field vectors changes sinusoidally
and are perpendicular to each other as well as at right angles to the direction of propagation of wave.

Electromagnetic waves are transverse in nature, i.e. electric and magnetic fields are perpendicular to each

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other and to the direction of wave propagation. Electromagnetic waves are not. deflected by electric and
magnetic fields.

Properties of EM Waves

(i) These waves are transverse in nature.

(ii) These waves propagate through space with speed of light.
(iii) The speed of electromagnetic wave,

(iv) The energy in electromagnetic waves is divided equally between electric field and magnetic field vectors.
(v) The electric vector is responsible for the optical effects of an electromagnetic wave.
Propagation of Electromagnetic Waves
EM waves are produced by accelerated charged particles. The electric and magnetic fields oscillates
perpendicular to each other and to the direction of propagation of the wave.

* In radio wave communication between two places, the e.m. waves are radiated out by the transmitter
antenna at one place which travel through the space and reach the receiving antenna at the other place.

Listed below are some important characteristics and properties of electromagnetic waves.

• Electromagnetic waves are transverse in nature as they propagate by varying the electric and
magnetic fields such that the two fields are perpendicular to each other.
• Accelerated charges are responsible to produce electromagnetic waves.
• Electromagnetic waves have constant velocity in vacuum and it is nearly equal to 3×108 ms−1 which
1
is denoted by 𝑐 = 𝜇 ∈
√ 𝑜 𝑜
• Electromagnetic wave propagation does not require any material medium to travel.
• The inherent characteristic of an electromagnetic wave is its frequency. Their frequencies remain
unchanged but its wavelength changes when the wave travels from one medium to another.
• The refractive index of a material is given by, n = √𝜇𝑟 ∈𝑟
• Electromagnetic wave follows the principle of superposition.
• The light vector (also known as the electric vector) is the reason for the optical effects due to an
electromagnetic wave.
• In an electromagnetic wave, the oscillating electric and magnetic fields are in the same phase and
their magnitudes have a constant ratio. The ratio of the amplitudes of electric and magnetic fields is
𝐸
equal to the velocity of the electromagnetic wave. c = 𝐵𝑜
0
• The energy is carried by the electric and magnetic fields of electromagnetic waves are equal, i.e. the
electric energy (𝜇𝐸 ) and the magnetic energy (𝜇𝑀 ) are equal.
• There is a vector quantity S, called the Poynting vector which represents the energy transferred by
electromagnetic waves per second per unit area.

1
𝑆⃗ = 𝜇 𝐸⃗⃗ 𝑥 𝐵
⃗⃗

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Electromagnetic Spectrum

The arranged array of electromagnetic radiations in the sequence of their wavelength or frequency is called
electromagnetic spectrum

Radio and microwaves are used in radio and TV communication.

Infrared rays are used to

(i) Treat muscular straw.
(ii) For taking photographs’ in fog or smoke.
(iii) In green house to keep plants warm.
(iv) In weather forecasting through infrared photography.

Ultraviolet rays are used

(i) In the study of molecular structure.
(ii) In sterilizing the surgical instruments.
(iii) In the detection of forged documents, £ringer prints.

y — rays are used for the study of nuclear structure.

X-rays are used

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(i) In detecting faults, cracks, flaws and holes in metal products.
(ii) In the study of crystal structure.
(iii) For the detection of pearls in oysters.

Earth’s Atmosphere
The gaseous envelope surrounding the earth is called earth’s atmosphere. It contain the following layers
(i) Troposphere This region extends upto a height of 12 km from earth’s surface.
(ii) Stratosphere This region extends from 12 km to 50 km. In this region, most of the atmospheric ozone is
concentrated from 30 to 50 km. This layer is called ozone layer.
(iii) Mesosphere The region extends from 50 km to 80 km.
(iv) Ionosphere This region extends from 80 km to 400 km.

In ionosphere the electron density is very large in a region beyond 110 km from earth’s surface which
extends vertically for a few kilometers

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