Electromagnetic Radiation:
You feel hot while sitting close to a fire. You would say it is obvious, what is so special about it? Fine! Other than have you ever wondered what makes you feel hot or in other words how does the energy as heat reaches you from the source? This is in the form of electromagnetic (EM) radiation. Heat energy reaches us in the form of infrared radiations which is a type of electromagnetic radiation. Let us learn about EM radiation in general.
An electromagnetic radiation might be described as the radiant energy that is transmitted by space at enormous velocities. It exists in several forms; the visible light and radiant heat being the simply recognised forms that we experience in daytoday life too. An EM radiation, unlike sound, does not requires a medium for transmission and pass readily by vacuum and in vacuum, the velocity of radiation is 3 × 108 m s-1. The study of different ways in that EM radiation could interact along with matter is of great significance in Chemistry. In order to know these interactions it is therefore essential to have knowledge of the properties of EM radiation. The properties of an electromagnetic radiation could be explained in terms of both classical wave model (wave mechanics) and particle model (quantum mechanics). Let us learn about these models of EM radiation and the properties related along with them.