Re: Help with film script: radiation shielding properties of metals

From: Paul Draper (pdraper_at_yahoo.com)
Date: 09/27/04 

Date: 27 Sep 2004 06:32:31 -0700

marg allison <marg.allison@newspace.net> wrote in message news:<wax5d.5110$5O5.1657@news-server.bigpond.net.au>...
> I'm hoping someone here can help me with some basic jargon. How would a
> scientist verbalise the ability of materials to attenuate radiation, i.e.
> what is the measurment unit and what would be typical values for 3mm
> thick aluminium and 2mm thick steel against alpha, beta, gamma and
> x-rays?
>
> Thanks in advance
> m.a.

Particle physicists typically use language "radiation length" for
charged particles (beta and alpha), "attenuation length" for photons
(gamma). The measurement unit is typically g/cm^2, because it is a
convolution of density and distance. If you want to look at it in
detail, you can read to your heart's content at
http://pdg.lbl.gov/2004/reviews/passagerpp.pdf

PD