Chapter 31, Problem 24A

Why do radio waves diffract around buildings while light waves do not?

To determine

To Explain: Radio waves diffract around buildings while light waves do not.

Explanation of Solution

Introduction:

The bending of waves while encountering an obstacle and spreading out through a small opening is called diffraction.

Radio waves have longer wavelength as compared to wavelength of visible light. The range of wavelength for radio waves is from 1 mm to 100 km and for visible light is from 400 nm to 700 nm. Hence, the longer the wavelength is, the more is the diffraction. So, radio waves diffract around buildings while light waves do not.

Conclusion:

Hence, radio waves diffract around buildings while light waves do not.