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X-raysAn X-ray can go through anything. The question is how much of it does that X-ray have to penetrate? An X-ray is a form of high energy electromagnetic radiation, and it has excellent penetrating power. It is only material with a high density that can shield us against them, and lead is a good example. Concrete is also pretty good, and it's cheap and readily available as a building material.

X-rays come in a range of energies, and some (the higher energy ones) are better at going through stuff than others. X-rays penetrate all things, but go farther into things of lower density. It's a "probability" thing that determines how far X-rays will penetrate. We talk about a half-thickness of a shielding material, and that is the thickness of that material that is required to reduce a given amount of a specific radiation by half. You can see that doubling that amount of shielding will not stop all the radiation, but will still allow a quarter of it to get through.

When chosing a material to shield against X-rays, things with a high density (like lead) will be more effective than less dense materials. Consideration must be given to the source and how it's being used when designing shielding around the X-ray generator.

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Related Questions

Why do you have xrays?

Usually to check for broken bones or bone malformations.


Why can't x-rays penetrate bone?

xrays can penetrate bone, the machine is set to a certain power level (kVp) so that an certain amount of penetration is used to give an optimal image.


What makes x-ray machine show the bones?

X-ray machines use electromagnetic radiation to pass through the body. Dense materials like bones absorb more radiation, appearing white on the x-ray image, while soft tissues allow more radiation to pass through, appearing as shades of grey. This contrast allows bones to be clearly visible on the x-ray image.


Can xrays be stoped by bone?

Yes, that's why it is used to tell where bones are. The x-rays pass through the tissues like muscles and fat but are stopped by the bones.


Tell do worms have bones?

no they do not have bones, just a big wormy body full of muscles.nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo ^actually this is incorrect. worms do in fact have bones thats why they show up on xrays looking like dragons


How are xrays harmful to humans?

yeah because it can break the bones so wheb your next in hospital, do not get x-rayed


How can xrays be used to see inside your body?

X-rays can penetrate the body and are absorbed differently by different tissues. Dense tissues like bones absorb more x-rays and appear white on the image, while softer tissues absorb fewer x-rays and appear gray. This contrast helps to visualize internal structures like bones, organs, and foreign objects inside the body.


Which type of radiation is used to make images of bones inside the body?

Xrays and CT scans


Why is it that sometimes when bones are x rayed they appear as white images?

Bones always appear as white images in regular xrays. However they arent really white because the film is clear, the plastic on the view box is white. But on xray film it is coated with a metalic layer. The xrays make the metalic layer stick to the film. So the black part of the film is where all the xrays reach the film. If the area on the xray is gray, then that means that some of the xrays are getting through implying that the structure is more dense than the black part. Soft tissue appears gray. The bone is a very dense structure allowing minimal to no xrays getting through. The film is then put through the processor and the film runs through chemicals that make the picture "stay" on the film. It is then rinsed and dried. Since the xrays make the metalic layer stick, none stick to the area of the bone because no radiation got through and the layer was washed off during processing. This is why bones appear white, they are the densest structure.


What can radiographers see most clearly with xrays and why?

Bones and other solids, Why? Because their higher density stops more X-rays than soft tissues do.


What sort of things are difficult to image with xrays?

Soft tissue such as muscle, fat and internal organs is hard to image using X-rays. This is because X-rays penetrate soft tissue relatively easily.


What electromagnet wave that shows breaks in bones?

X-rays are electromagnetic waves that can penetrate through soft tissues but are absorbed by denser materials like bones, resulting in an image that shows breaks or fractures in bones.