The product of thickness L and absorption coefficient k should be the same for both lead and iron, to obtain equivalent protection.
In other words, the e^(-kL) values must be the same.
Iron must therefore be 5.27 times thicker than lead.
The linear absorption coefficient for 0.05 nm x-rays in lead and in iron are respectively, 5.8x10(4) /m and 1.1x10 (4) /m. How thick should an iron shield be in order to provide the same protection from these x-rays as 10 nm of lead?
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