Electromagnetic radiation is more common than you think. radio and tv stations emit radio waves when they broadcast their programs; microwaves cook your food in a microwave oven; dentists use x rays to check your teeth. even though they have different names and different applications, these types of radiation are really all the same thing: electromagnetic (em) waves, that is, energy that travels in the form of oscillating electric and magnetic fields. consider the following: radio waves emitted by a weather radar system to detect raindrops and ice crystals in the atmosphere to study weather patterns; microwaves used in communication satellite transmissions; infrared waves that are perceived as heat when you turn on a burner on an electric stove; the multicolor light in a rainbow; the ultraviolet solar radiation that reaches the surface of the earth and causes unprotected skin to burn; andx rays used in medicine for diagnostic imaging.