Lab 1: Radio and Light Waves Virtual Lab
1) How is the radiating electric field (or electromagnetic signal) produced when radio stations broadcast? Include a description of what is producing the signal as well as the reasoning behind how this could produce a signal. We know that electromagnetic radiation is produced by accelerating charges. In the radio transmitter, electrons oscillate up and down and are thus accelerating. An electron will exert a force on another electron when they are some distance away, like charges repel. When the electron in the transmitter oscillates up and down, the direction of the force it exerts changes since the source of the force is moving. It takes some time for the change …show more content…
7) The electron in the receiving antenna oscillates at a lower frequency than the electron in the transmitting antenna because of the distance between the antennas.
False.
When the electron in the transmitting antenna oscillates, it sets up an electromagnetic wave oscillating at the same frequency. This electromagnetic wave in turn causes the electron in the receiving antenna to oscillate at the same frequency. So the electrons in the transmitting and receiving antennas must oscillate at the same frequencies.
8) If the frequency of oscillation increases but the amplitude of the electron oscillation remains the same, then the electron in the transmitting antenna is experiencing larger accelerations (recall what you know about acceleration and motion). True
Electrons must move faster to keep amplitude same when frequency is accelerating. A measure of the average acceleration is the (change in velocity)/(time elapsed). If the electron is moving faster towards its peak height and then away from its peak height at this new frequency, it has experience a larger change in velocity than at the old frequency. In addition, the time elapsed for this change in velocity is less than for the old frequency. Both changes indicate that the acceleration must be larger.
9) If the amplitude increases but frequency remains the same, the electron at the receiving antenna experiences larger peak forces but oscillates at the same frequency as before. True Because