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Infrared or red radiation from a common household radiator or electric heater is an example of thermal radiation, as is the heat emitted by an operating incandescent light bulb. Thermal radiation is generated when energy from the movement of charged particles within atoms is converted to electromagnetic radiation.
Radiation is a moving form of energy, classified into ionizing and non-ionizing type. [4] Ionizing radiation is further categorized into electromagnetic radiation (without matter) and particulate radiation (with matter). [4] Electromagnetic radiation consists of photons, which can be thought of as energy packets, traveling in the form of a wave ...
Background radiation is a measure of the level of ionizing radiation present in the environment at a particular location which is not due to deliberate introduction of radiation sources. Background radiation originates from a variety of sources, both natural and artificial.
Radiation waves may travel in unusual patterns compared to conduction heat flow. Radiation allows waves to travel from a heated body through a cold non-absorbing or partially absorbing medium and reach a warmer body again. [14] An example is the case of the radiation waves that travel from the Sun to the Earth.
A common example of such radiation is sunlight, which is thermal radiation from the Sun's photosphere and which contains enough ultraviolet light to cause ionization in many molecules and atoms. An extreme example is the flash from the detonation of a nuclear weapon , which emits a large number of ionizing X-rays purely as a product of heating ...
Gamma radiation is particularly concerning as this high-frequency energy can move through solid objects and human tissue, damaging DNA molecules and raising a person's risk for cancer, according ...
For example, ionizing radiation is one cause of chronic myelogenous leukemia, [22] [23] [24] although most people with CML have not been exposed to radiation. [23] [24] The mechanism by which this occurs is well understood, but quantitative models predicting the level of risk remain controversial. [citation needed]
For low-frequency radiation (radio waves to near ultraviolet) the best-understood effects are those due to radiation power alone, acting through heating when radiation is absorbed. For these thermal effects, frequency is important as it affects the intensity of the radiation and penetration into the organism (for example, microwaves penetrate ...