How can a surface be polished for some waves and not others?

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SUMMARY

A surface can be polished to different degrees depending on the wavelength of the waves interacting with it. Specifically, a surface is smoother for longer wavelengths, such as 3cm microwaves, compared to shorter wavelengths like visible light. This phenomenon is due to the relationship between surface texture and the wavelength of the waves, where a surface that appears polished for microwaves may not meet the lambda/20 standard for visible light.

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[SOLVED] How can a surface be polished for some waves and not others?

The question is above...
Thanks
 
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A surface is always smoother (more polished) for a longer wavelength.
So a piece of wood is pretty smooth to 3cm microwaves but is not really lambda/20 for visible light!
 
thanks so much...I was thinking about writing just that but wasn't too sure.

thanks
 

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