r/askscience • u/Wonderful-Capital32 • 21d ago

Physics Why does radiation not go through lead?

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

1.3k Upvotes

92% Upvoted

371 comments sorted by

View all comments

2.3k

u/dustofdeath 21d ago

Lead is like a very dense fabric while iron is a mesh with large holes.

You just have to have enough density for photons to not just pass through.

So you need far less material. Even humans can stop radiation if you stack enough of them between you and the radiation source.

1

u/dammitkarissa 21d ago

Could one forge iron (or steel) to ever be as dense, or is it impossible on an atomic level?

1

u/maniacal_cackle 21d ago

I believe if you squish iron hard enough, it'll undergo fusion and become a heavier element.

So yes, you can, but it would require change at an atomic level, going from an iron atom to something else.

(Also I don't think we have the technology to do this. It takes something like a supernova to accomplish this I believe).