Question

The radiation intensity from a gamma ray source at a distance of 3 meters will be how much less at 6 meters distance?

a) 0.5 times less
b) 1.5 times less
c) 2 times less
d) 4 times less
e) 6 times less

Answer 1

The radiation intensity from a gamma-ray source at 6 meters will be 4 times less than the intensity at 3 meters due to the inverse square law of radiation.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question you've asked pertains to the concept of radiation intensity and how it changes with distance. According to the inverse square law related to radiation intensity, if you double the distance from a source of radiation, the intensity decreases to one-quarter of its original value. This is because the radiation intensity is inversely proportional to the square of the distance from the source (I ≈ 1/d²).

At a distance of 3 meters, if we consider the radiation intensity to be at a certain level, then at 6 meters, which is twice the distance, the radiation intensity will be (1/2)² = 1/4 of the initial intensity. Hence, the radiation will be 4 times less intense at a distance of 6 meters compared to 3 meters.