How It Works: Why Higher Frequency Means More Danger
Part of Electromagnetic Spectrum — GCSE Physics
This how it works covers How It Works: Why Higher Frequency Means More Danger within Electromagnetic Spectrum for GCSE Physics. Revise Electromagnetic Spectrum in Waves for GCSE Physics with 15 exam-style questions and 15 flashcards. This is a high-frequency topic, so it is worth revising until the explanation feels precise and repeatable. It is section 6 of 13 in this topic. Use this how it works to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.
Topic position
Section 6 of 13
Practice
15 questions
Recall
15 flashcards
⚙️ How It Works: Why Higher Frequency Means More Danger
The energy carried by an EM wave is directly proportional to its frequency (E ∝ f). Radio waves have such low frequency that their energy passes harmlessly through most materials. Gamma rays have such high frequency that a single photon carries enough energy to knock electrons out of atoms — this is called ionisation.
Ionising radiation damages DNA by breaking chemical bonds in the double helix. A single broken bond can cause a mutation. If cells with mutations reproduce uncontrollably, this becomes cancer. This is why UV, X-rays, and gamma rays all have cancer risk, but radio waves and microwaves do not cause cancer in the same way (though microwaves can cause heating).