Why is it that high frequency signals don’t pass through walls easily but you need a block of lead to block the radiation (for Gamma)?

Question

Why is it that high frequency signals don’t pass through walls easily but you need a block of lead to block the radiation (for Gamma)?

In: Physics

Answer 1

Gamma is so high frequency that it has a *really* short wavelength and *really* high energy per photon. The gamma wavelengths are less than the diameter of an atom, in a rough sense they can literally shoot through the empty space between atoms. That’s why you need big heavy nucleuses to stop them, like lead.

What we think of as “high frequency” signals, like WiFi, has a wavelength of several centimeters. Compared to gamma, or compared to atoms, it’s HUGE, and far lower energy per photon.