Ionizing & Non-Ionizing Radiation Ionizing & Non-Ionizing
Radiation Radiation having a wide range of energies form the
electromagnetic spectrum, which is illustrated below. The
spectrum has two major divisions: Radiation that has enough
energy to move atoms in a molecule around or cause them to
vibrate, but not enough to remove electrons, is referred to as
"non-ionizing radiation." Examples of this kind of radiation are
sound waves, visible light, and microwaves. Radiation that falls
within the ionizing radiation" range has enough energy to remove
tightly bound electrons from atoms, thus creating ions. This is
the type of radiation that people usually think of as
'radiation.' We take advantage of its properties to generate
electric power, to kill cancer cells, and in many manufacturing
processes. The energy of the radiation shown on the spectrum
below increases from left to right as the frequency rises.
|Types of Radiation in the Electromagnetic Spectrum| |Type of
Radiation| We take advantage of the propertie