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Electromagnetic waves have a variety of uses depending on wavelength. In decreasing lengths, classifications are Radio, Microwave, Infrared Light, Visible Light, Ultraviolet Light, X-ray and Gamma ray waves.

Radio waves are commonly used for wireless communication, since they are largely harmless.

Microwaves are at the wavelength needed to excite a specific element common in edible substances (I believe it's hydrogen, but I could be wrong). This makes that part of the Microwave range useful in heating edible substances, and is used in commercial microwaves, via the part therein known as the Magnetron.

Infrared light is largely unexploited, as it is emitted by most objects at room temperature. This results in far too much noise to be useful in most uses, but does allow for infrared sensitive cameras to see in the dark. This is most commonly useful in military applications, as it allows soldiers to see in the dark without subjecting them to the issues of light intensity changes with light amplification equipment like night vision goggles.

Visible light is, by definition, the class of wavelengths visible in the human eye. Its uses are too numerous to name

Ultraviolet light is harmful to humans (sunburns, etc), but does have a number of uses, according to wikipedia's article (the numbers refer to wavelengths, 1nm is 1/1000000000 of a metre (or 3.28 feet):

  • 230-400 nm: Optical sensors, various instrumentation
  • 230-365 nm: UV-ID, label tracking, barcodes
  • 240-280 nm: Disinfection, decontamination of surfaces and water (DNA absorption has a peak at 260 nm)
  • 250-300 nm: Forensic analysis, drug detection
  • 270-300 nm: Protein analysis, DNA sequencing, drug discovery
  • 280-400 nm: Medical imaging of cells
  • 300-400 nm: Solid-state lighting
  • 300-365 nm: Curing of polymers and printer inks
  • 300-320 nm: Light therapy in medicine
  • 350-370 nm: Bug zappers (flies are most attracted to light at 365 nm)

X-rays are used for density scanning equipment. Examples include security systems like those found in most airports for scanning baggage and in medical diagnosis of a wide array of problems. While potentially very harmful to humans in sufficient dosages, they are still useful since they provide a clear image of the human skeleton, enabling easy detection of bone breaks or fractures, and certain other problems are also clearly seen (Tuberculosis, for instance, creates an abnormally dark shadow in the lungs). Interpretation should be left to a medical professional. The image is far less detailed than that produced by CT or MRI scanning, but is far simpler to use and more widely available.

Gamma rays are extremely hazardous to life in general and exceedingly rare. They are the byproducts in nuclear reactors, which necessitates extensive shielding of the reactor core (where fission actually occurs) to protect people nearby (one can be leaning against the reactor shielding and still be several tens of feet from the core itself). They are the primary method of killing a large number of cells very quickly. The only case I know of where this method is commonly used is in cancer curatives - once a cancerous region is identified, low intensity gamma rays are injected to the region from a variety of angles - the total exposure to healty tissue remains below safe limits, but the exposure of the cancerous cells to gamma rays is sufficient to cause destruction. It is an alternative to chemotherapy or surgery. All three methods are exceedingly bad for the entire human body, which is one of the major problems with curent cancer treatment: the "cure" is almost as bad as the cancer is.

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