Recent comments in /f/askscience

cdstephens t1_j2jqw3f wrote

I think you misunderstand what radiation is. Your question doesn’t make much sense. Electromagnetic waves aren’t matter, they don’t work like matter and can’t be “ruptured” or “destroyed”. They don’t have pieces holding them together like matter does. There’s simply nothing to break apart.

Electromagnetic waves (like radio waves, visible light, etc.) are self-propagating waves of oscillating electric and magnetic fields that travel through space. They can also travel through materials, like water or glass.

Electromagnetic waves can be absorbed by matter, where the energy of the electromagnetic wave goes into the matter that’s absorbing it. For instance, radiation from the Sun is absorbed by your skin, thus making you warm (as well as damaging some cells).

Electromagnetic waves follow the superposition principle, where if two or more electromagnetic waves are in the same region of space they can interfere. If the intensity of the radiation is increased, this is constructive interference. If the radiation intensity is decreased, this is destructive interference.

Importantly, two waves from different sources cannot perfectly destructively interfere everywhere in all space. If you have two waves and there’s a region where they perfectly cancel out, there must be another region nearby where they add up and constructively interfere. So you cannot destroy or cancel out radiation with another electromagnetic wave, all you can do is shift in space where the intensity is high or low.

You can of course stop creating an electromagnetic wave by turning off whatever the source is (e.g. turning off a flashlight), but the radiation that’s been created will already be traveling outwards.

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PogostickPower t1_j2jqhkc wrote

A couples of questions to clarify:

  1. Are you talking about radiactive materials, or the EM waves being transmitted from them?
  2. If it's the EM waves: Are you thinking of destructive interference rather than cavitation?
  3. What do you mean by "away"? Do you mean moving/redirecting, or destroying/neutralizing? You mention rupturing but also black holes bending light, so I'm a bit confused.
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dumbgunn t1_j2jq0l6 wrote

I wish there was flair for when the question sounds like someone was high when they thought of it.
None of these things are similar. Both cavitation and rupturing are nonsensical in terms of radiation.

The closest you get here is that some radiation (charged particle types) are influenced by magnetic fields and can be deflected. This is one way Earth’s geosphere protects us. Another is with the atmosphere eliminating almost all high energy photons (related to its optical depth).

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Chemomechanics t1_j2jps99 wrote

> only it also works in glass and cells, which is a crystalline structure, and it also works in space, which is something idk.

This conflates multiple different phenomena. Without bringing in technical jargon, which tends to confuse the issue, what is the ultimate question you're trying to answer?

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PlayboySkeleton t1_j2jos8a wrote

You have mentioned a whole bunch of different phenomena that aren't really related to each other. Are you asking if, just like these phenomena affect EM, can EM also cavitate or rupture? Or are you trying to ask if EM can affect glass or impart some effect on an item like sound affects glass?

Idk what you are asking here. There are a lot of quarter words used, but the structure makes about as much sense as my 5 year old trying to fill his piggy bank.

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sciencedthatshit t1_j2jopk2 wrote

You have some basic misuse of terminology here which makes it impossible to answer your question. Cavitation is a vapor/liquid phase phenomenon and has nothing to do with EM radiation. Rupturing is also a physical process that does not apply to EM radiation.

The closest thing I can think of that your question resembles would be destructive interference? You should read up on what all the jargon you're using means and come back with a coherent question if you're looking for an answer.

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attentionhordoeuvres t1_j2jojei wrote

No. And even if they did involve infectious material (again, they don’t), the tests don’t involve putting that material in your body. You would take a sample from your body and mix it with other substances ex vivo to observe some kind of reaction.

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Chemomechanics t1_j2jo4zg wrote

I don't really understand the way you're using standard terms. "Cavitation" typically refers to the formation and collapse of vapor bubbles in a liquid under low pressure. "Cavitated away and ruptured" doesn't seem to have any meaning for EM radiation. Please clarify your intended meaning.

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