Why can’t you see through lead with xray machines
In: Physics
You can’t see through a lot of things with x-rays. Bone is one of them, which is why x-ray machines work in the first place. The rays are harmful in large amounts though, so technicians need a good shield. Lead is a dense and cheap metal so it doesn’t have to be particularly thick to stop x-rays. But being able to stop x-rays is not itself a special property.
Lead is very dense and absorbs the x-rays. Other materials that are even more dense would be even more effective, but lead has the advantage of being A] cheap, and B] not radioactive.
X-rays are light waves, just like visible light, radio waves, etc. Whether or not light goes through a certain material, like lead, depends on the material and what kind (frequency/wavelength) of light it is. Lead blocks x-rays the same way a brick wall blocks sunlight.
Because lead blocks the x-rays. It’s not any more complicated than that. It’s the same as a door made of wood blocking visible light. Lead isn’t inherently special in blocking x-rays, enough of *any* material will block them, it’s just that it’s super dense so you don’t need much of it.
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