Individual online presentation about Radio Waves- beyond the broadcast

1. Beyond the broadcast
Natalie Murray

2. Introduction
This slide show will take you through many
ideas surrounding radio waves;
 The basics- What is a radio wave?
 Use and importance of radio waves
 Radio waves beyond radio broadcasting
 Radio wave use in mobile phones

3. What Is A Radio Wave?
Radio waves are part of the
electromagnetic spectrum and cover a large
part of it, the wavelengths can range from
centimetres to hundreds of meters and are
significantly large in comparison to that at the
smaller end of the spectrum, for
example, gamma rays which have wavelengths
which are measured in nanometres.
Radio waves send audio, text and images in
their waves.

4. Radio Wave Diagram
The diagram shows the area which Radio waves cover on the
electromagnetic spectrum, ranging from FM and AM radio waves to long radio
waves. The wave length increases towards the right of the diagram making radio
waves the longest wavelength within the whole electromagnetic spectrum as well as
having the largest range in wave size throughout the spectrum.
The visible light spectrum is shown in the centre, this is the visible part of
the spectrum and because radio waves are not within this range, it means that they
are not visible to the human eye.

5. Radio waves
AM and FM waves are the
most known radio waves,
because of the common name,
the radio and radio waves.
The invention of the radio has
been claimed by many people
including Nikolas Telsa and
Guglielmo Marconi, who was
later offered the patent for radio
in 1896.
Broadcasts of radio first
occurred in the early 1900,
developing from one to one
communication to one to many
communication. Firstly thought
to be a weakness but later Marconi- offered the patent for the radio
became the entertainment
within everyone’s homes and
the information service for the
war.

6. Importance of Radio Waves
Radio waves has been one of the most important advances in
the20th century and can communicate information all over the world.
Not only communication, but things like SatNav, remote controls
and every day household items rely on radio waves and radio
technology, without it, today, we’d be living very different lives.
Radio technology is responsible for overseas connections and
was the first technology to combat the problem of overcoming distance in
a shorter period of time. Without Radio waves, modern forms of
communication would be almost impossible and we’d still be sending
things over shore on a wooden boat by letter!

7. Use of radio waves
The many uses of radio waves:
 Radio’s are used in ambulances
to communicate with hospitals
on patients and location
 Radio telescopes use radio
waves, these pick up radio
waves which are detected
outside the earth, waves which
are emitted from stars and
planets
 Radio waves are used on ships
to determine location and can be
used as a compass

8. Continued…  Radio waves have been a part of
surgery for over 75 years making
them less invasive. As well as
this, MRI scans are produced by
Radio waves to create images of
the body. These are less harmful
than X-Rays which are another
way to generate images of the
body.
 Radio waves have also been
researched to cure some cancers
because they don’t damage the
body tissue.
 Radio wave technology has been
developed in agriculture to
destroy harmful and invasive
insects, despite this it hasn’t been
applied as of yet.

9. Radio waves beyond broadcasting
As you have seen in previous slides, radio
waves are not only used for radio broadcast but in
many ways, radio waves branch out further from
AM & FM waves and are used in mobile
computing and wireless internet.
The next three slides take you through in
more detail about the application of radio waves in
mobile phone technology.

10. Radio wave technology: Mobile
Phones
Mobile phones, or “cell phones” as they are
known globally, operate using Radio wave
technology. Mobile phones operate in a different way
to that of the home phone; wired or wireless.
Mobile phones work in a Cellular pattern, where
areas are divided in to cells, which allows mobiles to
operate within that cell. Base stations within the cells
make up the network, these base stations have a
transmitter tower and a radio.
Likewise, mobile phones have low power
transmitters in them which allow them to connect to
the transmitters at base stations.

11. Continued…
Mobile phones emit radio
frequencies to work, the frequency of a
mobile phone lies between FM Radio
waves and Microwaves.
Things which effect the
signal of a mobile phone include where
the hand is on the mobile; placement
with in a “cell”; the amount of people
using mobile phones within a cell. The
signal is changed because less radio
wave signals are being exchanged
between the base station and the
mobile phone.

12. Continued…
There are many health concerns which surround mobile
phone technology. Microwaves have the ability to heat up body
tissue and transform body cells if we are openly exposed to it.
Because mobile phone radio wave frequency lie between FM
frequency and Microwave frequency, there have been concerns
as to whether if exposed to too many radio wave frequencies
from our mobiles if we are at risk of cancer.
High levels of these waves from mobile phones would
cause us damage, however because of the low frequency
transmitters in our phone, risk is low.
Many studies have taken place as to whether there are a
link between mobile phone use and brain tumours however there
is no conclusive evidence as of yet that they do.

13. 
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