Gamma Ray Attenuation Calculation
a) What fraction of the emitted gamma particles passes through the slab?
Given the data of the thickness of the concrete slab and the mass attenuation coefficient, how can we calculate the fraction of gamma particles that pass through the slab?
b) Estimate the thickness of lead that provides the same amount of attenuation as the concrete slab.
What is the process to determine the thickness of lead needed to achieve the same attenuation as the concrete slab?
Answer:
(a) The fraction of the emitted gamma particles that passes through the slab is 0.9416.
(b) The thickness of lead required to provide the same amount of attenuation as the concrete slab is 10.08 cm.
To calculate the fraction of gamma particles passing through the concrete slab, we utilized the formula I/Io = e^(-μx), where I is the intensity after attenuation, Io is the initial intensity, μ is the mass attenuation coefficient, and x is the thickness of the material. By substituting the given values into the formula, we determined that 94.16% of the gamma particles pass through the slab.
In the second part of the question, we needed to find the thickness of lead that would result in the same fraction of gamma rays being transmitted. By using the mass attenuation coefficient for lead and the calculated fraction from the concrete slab, we were able to determine that a lead thickness of 10.08 cm is required to achieve the equivalent level of attenuation.