Why can't we feel certain kinds of waves?

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In summary, the sun emits all wavelengths of light, but the higher energy ones are blocked by the atmosphere. This is why we cannot feel them. However, some radio waves and microwaves from the sun are too large in wavelength to interact with us and do not carry enough energy to affect us. On the other hand, we can feel infrared energy because it is higher in energy and more flux is delivered in UV light, causing sunburns and DNA damage despite being mostly blocked by the atmosphere.
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Biologik
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I know the light emitted from the sun has all the wavelengths, and the higher energy ones are blocked because they cannot pierce the atmosphere. But I know the Radio waves, Micro waves, and Ultra Violet come through, so why can't we feel them? And why is is that we can feel Infared energy and not radio waves?
 
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Lots of radio waves are too large wavelength to interact with us, additionally radio and microwaves from the sun don't carry that much energy (overall) to affect us (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackbody_radiation. UV light causes sunburns and DNA damage (i.e. we do feel it) even though it is mostly blocked by the atmosphere, because they are much higher energy (and more flux is delivered in UV; again, see the black-body article).
 

FAQ: Why can't we feel certain kinds of waves?

Why can't we feel radio waves?

Radio waves are a type of electromagnetic radiation that have a very long wavelength and low frequency. These waves do not have enough energy to cause the molecules in our bodies to vibrate, which is what we perceive as touch or feeling. Therefore, we cannot feel radio waves.

Why can't we feel sound waves?

Sound waves are mechanical waves that require a medium, such as air, to travel through. Our bodies do not have the necessary receptors to detect these vibrations in the air, so we cannot feel sound waves. However, we can perceive sound waves through our sense of hearing.

Why can't we feel infrared waves?

Infrared waves are a type of electromagnetic radiation that have a longer wavelength than visible light. These waves also do not have enough energy to cause the molecules in our bodies to vibrate, so we cannot feel them. However, we can sense infrared waves as heat through specialized receptors in our skin.

Why can't we feel microwaves?

Microwaves are a type of electromagnetic radiation that have a higher frequency than radio waves. While they have enough energy to cause molecules in our food to vibrate and generate heat, they do not have enough energy to affect the molecules in our bodies. Therefore, we cannot feel microwaves.

Why can't we feel X-rays?

X-rays are a type of electromagnetic radiation that have a very short wavelength and high frequency. These waves have enough energy to penetrate through our bodies and create images of our bones, but they do not interact with the molecules in our bodies in a way that causes us to feel them.

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