ABOUT FACTS NET Science

 

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What is very common, all around us and can be found at times in the ground, sea and air? Why waves of course. We live in a society where we are surrounded by waves. These waves pass through us, around us and over us. Do they damage us in any way? Maybe. Examples of waves that might damage us are the solar radiation that gets through the hole in the ozone layer, waves from cell phones if the phones are used constantly, and x-rays if we were to receive an overdose, just to mention a few. As our technology advances, it seems that more concentrations of waves are in the air and new types of waves may even enter the picture. Many people even believe that it is dangerous to live near or under very high tension electric lines because of the electromagnetic energy seeping out of them but many tests have been conducted and nothing of an affirmative answer has shown up.

There are many different types of waves, such as: Radio waves, Light waves, Micro waves, Electromagnetic waves, Sound waves, Infrared waves, Ultraviolet waves, Gamma Rays, X-rays, Plasma waves and Gravity waves. Gravity waves are still undetected but Einstein predicted them. There are experiments going on right now to detect Gravity waves. You can read more on this at http://www.ligo.caltech.edu/. Gravity waves have been predicted to be a very weak force and that is the reason they are so hard to detect. I am almost sure that I have forgotten some wave types, but the list was just to give you an idea of some of the different types of waves that exist.

Earthquakes produce waves. As a matter of fact they produce two different types of waves. One is a P wave which is a fast wave that is compressed and travels along a horizontal line. It contracts and expands. An example of a compressed wave would be a plane breaking the sound barrier. The air in front of the plane is being compressed as the plane increases speed. The second type of wave is the S wave. They are called shear waves and move in a perpendicular direction. These waves are the slower of the two.

With all these waves around us, it makes one wonder if there is some way to harness them to produce energy? Waves created in the ocean are already being turned into energy in some areas using wave machines to turn generators that produce electricity. But what about other waves, like light waves? Most of us have heard of solar energy. In some areas of the country it works better than in others. Solar energy takes several different forms. You can use sunlight to power solar cells, heat pipes, heat boilers by being reflected off of mirrors and create energy by light shining through a membrane. The wind is very similar to a wave. It ebbs and flows at times and in some areas has been used as a power source for over 2,000 years. Not only has it turned windmills but it has powered ships and turned generators that produce electricity. There is talk of beaming energy down to Earth from giant solar collectors. The method used would be by microwave. If we look into space, we see that many different types of waves can be used for power. The reason for this is that there is an opposite reaction for every reaction. While a wave might not even be noticeable on Earth in some cases, in space it could push a vehicle. When you turn on a flashlight on Earth, you don't feel a sudden jerk backward but if a flashlight were strapped to the back of a vehicle in space and turned on, the vehicle would move forward and build speed.

The human body has been subjected to radio waves in the air for over 100 years when, in 1895 Marconi sent the first radio broadcast or maybe he didn't. The Supreme Court has overturned Marconi's patent and given it to Nikola Tesla a brilliant scientist and former assistant to Edison. Tesla is also the inventor of AC (Alternating Current) among other things.

Waves are everywhere, there is even a popular theory that waves travel through our cells. This theory is unproven as of this moment. Another area that we seem to have waves in, is our brain. Brain waves are described as the fluctuations of electrical potential in the brain and can be recorded by electroencephalography.

We even use waves such as ultrasound to diagnose certain illnesses and determine the sex of our unborn children. The more one studies waves the more one begins to realize that waves are an integral part of all life on this planet. But it is not only this planet that is subject to waves. Waves exist in the far reaches of space itself. An example of this is a plasma wave. You can actually measure the frequency of these waves. Plasma is a very hot gas that has had its electrons stripped from its atoms. SETI, which is the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, routinely listens to radio waves from space in hope of finding one that may have originated from an intelligent society. While not a wave, the solar wind contains waves.It exists in our solar system and probably in most others. It exerts a force powerful enough to push a sail craft.

So the next time you are down at the beach, enjoying the sun and watching those waves roll in, remember that much of our very existence is controlled by waves of one sort or another.