Question

Two of the types of ultraviolet light, UVB and UVC, are both components of sunlight. Their wavelengths range from 280 to 320 nm for UVB and from 100 to 280 nm for UVC. Compare the energy of microwaves, UVB, and UVC. Rank from greatest to least energy per photon. To rank items as equivalent, overlap them.

Answer 1

UVC > UVB > microwaves

Step-by-step explanation:

Let's consider the following radiations with their ranges of wavelengths (λ).

• Microwaves: 1 mm - 1 m

• UVB: 280 nm - 320 nm

• UVC: 100 nm - 280 nm

The energy of a photon (E) can be calculated using the Planck-Einstein's equation.

E = h . c . λ⁻¹

where,

h is the Planck's constant

c is the speed of light

As we can see, the shorter the wavelength, the more energy the photon has. The rank from greatest to least energy is UVC > UVB > microwaves.