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Article: Risky rays. (electromagnetic radiation)
- Article from:
- Current Events, a Weekly Reader publication
- Article date:
- October 1, 1991
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1991 Weekly Reader Corp. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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The electromagnetic force is with you. It surrounds you with its power. Radiating from the sun, it brings you warmth, light, and color. From the center of the earth, it seeps through soil and into water and the air. From radios, computers, and other electronic devices it brings you sights, information, and sounds. Electromagnetic energy, or radiation, fills the environment. Some is vital to your life. Some is harmful.
All electromagnetic energy consists of vibrating electric and magnetic fields that spread out in all directions. Each kind has its own wavelength or frequency that gives it unique properties. You can see, for example, the colors of visible ...