How can a surface be smooth/polished for some waves and not for others? (this is an important question, refer to the homework on webassign and question regarding whether a surface is smooth/polished for some electromagnetic waves verses others)

Depending upon the size of the irregularities on the surface and the wavelength of the surface a surface can be smooth for the waves of smaller wavelengths than the size of the irregularities.

Explanation:

Depending upon the size of the irregularities on the surface and the wavelength of the surface a surface can be smooth for some of the waves but not for the others.

Contrarily, when the surface has the irregularities less than the size of the wavelength then it reflects most of the light in a uniform manner.

freezing

deposition

condensation

explanation;

melting also called fusion is the process where solid becomes liquid, sublimation is the process where solid becomes gaseous without first changing to liquid, deposition involves change from gaseous to solid state, freezing involves change from liquid to solid, boiling or evaporation involves change of liquid to gaseous state, while condensation is the change from gaseous state to liquid state.

endothermic reactions involves absorption of heat from the surroundings or the environment while exothermic reactions involves loss of heat energy to the surroundings.

in this case, sublimation, evaporation and melting are endothermic reactions (gain energy from the environment) while, freezing, deposition and condensation are exothermic (loss of energy to the surroundings) reactions.

wavelegth as in spectrum red oygbiv