eli5: how do radio waves and other low frequency electromagnetic waves pass through materials?

Question

I’ve asked my physics teacher and looked it up a thousand times but i still dont understand it. What i understood from my physics teacher was that atoms are really far apart so some of the wave just “misses” them and goes right through but then wouldn’t light do the same thing?
I understand that x-rays and stuff are higher energy and can pass through materials for that reason but I don’t get why radio waves can do it and why light can’t.

In: 3

Answer 1

You’re getting good answers. I’ll just add that it blows people’s minds to learn that AM radio signals largely propagate *through the earth* during daylight hours, not over the air. That changes when the sun goes down, when not only do AM signals travel through the air, they can “bounce” off the ionosphere to be heard at incredible distances.