B Question about electromagnetic waves -- Penetration vs. Frequency

[samy4408]

TL;DR

a problem with an information i read.

I read in a book that high frequency electromagnetic waves are more able to penetrate than low ones , so why radio waves can penetrate walls when light cannot?

 

[anorlunda]

You might also ask why a transparent glass wall is transparent?

Yes, high energy can penetrate more, but the transparency/opaque property of EM in a medium, depends on interaction between the radiation and the medium. See

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transparency_and_translucency#Absorption_of_light_in_solids

 

[Delta2]

It depends what exactly you mean by penetration. This statement looks to me like it is not entirely correct.

If we take penetration of EM into metal plates, the so called skin effect/depth, it is inversely proportional to frequency, that is the higher the frequency the less the depth the EM wave penetrates into the metal.

 

[Baluncore]

I read in a book that high frequency electromagnetic waves are more able to penetrate than low ones , so why radio waves can penetrate walls when light cannot?

I think it is true if photons rather than EM waves are considered. E = h⋅u ;
More energetic particles are harder to stop.

 

[nasu]

What are the other two rules? The electromagnetic spectrum is so huge that no single rule applies to all the region of the EM waves. You can find examples where the high frequency penetrates more and where it penetrates less. You already found one that disproves the "rule". Depends on what you compare. And also, on the material that the wave penetrates.