Understanding EM Wave Attenuation in Conductors and Dielectrics

[silence98]

Hi, I have been reading my textbook and online but I'm not sure if I understand. An EM wave attenuates in a conductor but not in a dielectric? If that is correct what does the impedance of a dielectric represent, since I thought impedance would be associated with an energy loss...

 

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The absorpion in a dielectric is less than that in a metal. In many cases you can safely neglect the Im{ε} of a dielectric.