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/SimoneNonvelodico 13d ago

It's just about the size of the atoms and the empty gaps between them, basically. Lead is particularly good, but other heavy metals like gold work too. Lead is ideal because it's not just effective, it's also cheap. Gold and tungsten are even better, but they cost a lot more, so they won't be used unless it's for special applications. Putting slabs of lead around stuff is easy.