I was at the dentist with my daughter this week and she was having some x-rays done. The dental assistant put a lead vest on her and told my daughter it would protect her from the x-rays. Later, my daughter asked me *how* the lead apron protected her.
Does the lead apron reflect the x-rays in some way? Does it absorb it? If it absorbs, is there a limit as to how many times a lead apron can be used before it’s “full” ?
In: Physics
> Does the lead apron reflect the x-rays in some way?
This is the ticket. Lead is very dense and has a large number of electrons, meaning it’s very good at deflecting and scattering radiation.
Think of two different chain-link fences, one with bigger holes than the other. If you throw ping-pong balls at the one with large holes, sure, some will bounce off the wire, but some will go through.
Throw the same ping-pong balls at the smaller fence, and substantially more will bounce off. That’s essentially how lead protects you.
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