Riding the Radio Waves
Students learn how AM radios workCopyright Wikimedia Commons https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:JOGK_Minamiaso_AM_Radio_Repeater.JPG
Students learn how AM radios work through basic concepts about waves and magnetic fields. Waves are first introduced by establishing the difference between transverse and longitudinal waves, as well as identifying the amplitude and frequency of given waveforms. Then students learn general concepts about magnetic fields, leading into how radio waves are created and transmitted. Several demonstrations are performed to help students better understand these concepts. This prepares students to be able to comprehend the functioning of the AM radios they will build during the associated activity.
Understanding how waves and magnetic fields work are basic concepts of electricity and magnetism that all engineers must know. It is also the task of engineers to take the concepts learned in school or other types of training and find practical uses and applications for this knowledge, such as AM radios.
After completing this lesson, students should be able to:
- Identify transverse and longitudinal waves.
- Determine the amplitude and frequency of a waveform.
- Describe how electromagnetic waves propagate.
- Explain the process by which AM radios work.