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Q.Microwaves are used in Radars, why?

Telangana TsbieTelangana Board of Intermediate Education 2025Subjective· 2mImportance★★★★★
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Microwaves have a very short wavelength, so they can be focused into a narrow beam with minimal spreading (diffraction), letting radar pinpoint an object's direction and range accurately.

Why microwaves suit radar

Radar (RAdio Detection And Ranging) works by transmitting a short burst of electromagnetic waves toward a target, and detecting the wave reflected back from the target. From the direction of the transmitted/received beam and the time taken for the pulse to return, the position (direction) and distance (range) of the object (e.g., an aircraft or ship) can be calculated.

  1. Short wavelength -> narrow beam: Microwaves have wavelengths in the range of centimetres to a few metres (frequencies from about 1 GHz to 300 GHz). Because diffraction spreading is significant only when the wavelength is comparable to the size of the aperture/obstacle, such a short wavelength can be transmitted using a moderately sized antenna/reflector (a parabolic dish) as a highly directional, narrow beam, much like a searchlight - this pinpoints direction precisely, unlike longer radio waves which spread out in all directions.
  2. Straight-line (line-of-sight) travel: Being of high frequency, microwaves travel essentially in straight lines, so the direction of the reflected signal reliably indicates the direction of the target. …

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