If you're talking about the neutron it's because concrete has a lot of hydrogen. Alpha particles, beta particles, and light (gamma rays in this picture) interact with electrons, with the probability of being stopped increasing with electron density. Lead has a lot of electrons (its lower on the periodic table, called a "high z" element).
Neutrons, however, don't care about electrons and instead interact with the nucleus, with the probability of being stopped depending on the spin state of the nucleus and the neutron. This doesn't follow a specific pattern on the periodic table, but hydrogen has a big chance of interacting with the neutron while lead doesn't. Cadmium, boron, and I think lithium 7 also would stop neutrons easily (there are more of course but those are what I remember offhand).
Nah, that's not what they're talking about. Superman's vision is capable of penetrating concrete, but gets reliably stopped by lead. None of the particles here (or, I'm guessing, anywhere) have that property.
29 Comments
fargeol@lemmy.world · 66 pts · 19h
Tell me more about how you're unstable, full of bugs and need to finish your development
iocase@lemmy.zip · 7 pts · 15h
And they're so insanely positive all the time that they can rip the negativity out of you twice in such a way that it scrambles your DNA.
Never underestimate the toxic positivity of an alpha particle...
Multiplexer@discuss.tchncs.de · 26 pts · 20h
And, from the "size really doesn't matter that much" faction, the neutrino just arrived...
cybervseas@lemmy.world · 10 pts · 19h
They come and just keep going.
Endymion_Mallorn@kbin.melroy.org · 4 pts · 19h
The Neutrinos? From Dimension X? They're so cool they're frozen!
Funkt4st1c@lemmy.world · 17 pts · 19h
Tbf you actually want 0 penetration. Its already a hole, you just want to insert yourself into said preexisting hole.
Making a new one is probably a bad idea
abbadon420@sh.itjust.works · 7 pts · 17h
frog@feddit.uk · 15 pts · 19h
What prevents Superman from being able to see through lead but not concrete?
ceenote@lemmy.world · 31 pts · 19h
Comic book authors
bingrazer@lemmy.world · 17 pts · 19h
If you're talking about the neutron it's because concrete has a lot of hydrogen. Alpha particles, beta particles, and light (gamma rays in this picture) interact with electrons, with the probability of being stopped increasing with electron density. Lead has a lot of electrons (its lower on the periodic table, called a "high z" element).
Neutrons, however, don't care about electrons and instead interact with the nucleus, with the probability of being stopped depending on the spin state of the nucleus and the neutron. This doesn't follow a specific pattern on the periodic table, but hydrogen has a big chance of interacting with the neutron while lead doesn't. Cadmium, boron, and I think lithium 7 also would stop neutrons easily (there are more of course but those are what I remember offhand).
Klear@piefed.world · 7 pts · 19h
Nah, that's not what they're talking about. Superman's vision is capable of penetrating concrete, but gets reliably stopped by lead. None of the particles here (or, I'm guessing, anywhere) have that property.
Alcoholicorn@mander.xyz · 15 pts · 19h
Gamma rays kinda do, you need 10x more concrete to block them than lead: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Half-value_layer
Klear@piefed.world · 9 pts · 17h
Phew, good to know. I was beginning to think Superman isn't real.
bingrazer@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 19h
Gammas might be able to penetrate a little bit of concrete, since concrete has lower electron density than lead
tetris11@feddit.uk · 4 pts · 18h
what do neutrons care about though? how do we appeal to that demographic?
markz@suppo.fi · 12 pts · 18h
Yeah I'm a Neutron Male
ramble81@lemmy.zip · 10 pts · 17h
Gives new meaning to Jimmy Neutron
chuckleslord@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 18h
"Oh, that's-"
The speaker was crushed as OPs sudden extreme gravity ripped the earth asunder
tetris11@feddit.uk · 4 pts · 18h
I see you've met my cat
burgermeister@sh.itjust.works · 6 pts · 17h
Gotta blast!
bedwyr@piefed.ca · 3 pts · 18h
I am a gamma male.
madmantis24@lemmy.wtf · 4 pts · 17h
Sweet, Dr. Banner is on the Fediverse!
iocase@lemmy.zip · 4 pts · 15h
Yeah! Well if i get inside your body 🥵 (IF) I can rip your DNA to shreds unlike any of those other beta or gamma particles 😤
Endymion_Mallorn@kbin.melroy.org · 3 pts · 19h
Well, duh. Did you not notice the blonde constantly chasing him?
ItsAlwaysDNS@sh.itjust.works · 3 pts · 19h
Aren't Gamma-Rays impossible to stop even with lead? You can only weaken them.
bingrazer@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 19h
Gamma rays are stopped by things with a lot of electrons, so a sufficiently thick block of lead will stop it
EDIT: higher energy light has more penetration power (so gammas are quire penetrating), but it's a finite value
WhiskyTangoFoxtrot@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 16h
The madder they get, the stronger they get.
Speiser0@feddit.org · 2 pts · 19h
How much concrete do you actually need to stop a neutron with probability 1/2? Is 1 lightsecond enough?
Someonelol@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 1 pts · 14h
Boozilla@sh.itjust.works · 1 pts · 13h
https://youtu.be/3dkKcf40YfE