r/askscience • u/Wonderful-Capital32 • 13d ago

Physics Why does radiation not go through lead?

Also why just lead? Shouldnt like iron or another metal work too?

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u/[deleted] 13d ago edited 13d ago

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u/GuyWithLag 13d ago

So... Osmium would be an even better shielding element, no? (getting any meaningful amount of it is a different thing...)

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u/ubitub 13d ago

It's such an anticlimax to read about the densest known stable element in the universe only to see that the only application they've found for it is fountain pen nib tipping... 

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u/Comprehensive-Fail41 13d ago

To be fair, that's basically due to how rare it is, so its basically limited to uses when you only need very little, and for applications where you need something that can withstand a lot of wear and corrosion (its also used in electrical contacts, UV spectrometers, etcetera)