Can Cosmic Rays Penetrate Stones, Mountains, and the Human Body? Answers here!

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the penetration of cosmic rays through various materials, including stones, mountains, and the human body. Participants explore the implications of cosmic rays on health and their interaction with different substances, touching on theoretical and experimental aspects.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants note that cosmic rays are primarily high-energy protons that interact with the atmosphere to produce secondary particles, such as muons, which can penetrate the Earth.
  • It is mentioned that muons can reach limited depths underground and may cause random chemical reactions in biological materials, potentially leading to health effects like cancer.
  • One participant describes cosmic rays as energetic particles from cosmic events, asserting that they can pass through biological materials, including humans, with relative ease.
  • A mathematical representation of cosmic ray intensity is provided, referencing concepts similar to the Beer-Lambert law, which describes the absorption and interaction of cosmic rays with different layers of material.
  • Another participant suggests that a comprehensive understanding of cosmic rays may require advanced knowledge in nuclear physics and references their role in various scientific applications, such as radionuclide dating.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express varying views on the extent of cosmic ray penetration and their effects on health, with no consensus reached on the specifics of these interactions or their implications.

Contextual Notes

Some claims rely on assumptions about the intensity and effects of cosmic rays, and the discussion includes references to complex interactions that may not be fully resolved or defined.

mackreg
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Guys please help me with an answer to this question. Which substances can cosmic rays penetrate? I mean, can the cosmic rays penetrate stones, mountains, etc etc. Can they penetrate the human body also? If yes then the cosmic rays are bound to have influence on human bodies and minds? Kindly give your thoughts if you know about this. Thanks
 
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Cosmic rays are mostly high energy protons. These will interact with the material in the upper atmosphere producing showers of secondary particles (muons etc.) which reach the earth.

As far as penetration is concerned, you could look up articles in Wikipedia.
 
mackreg said:
Guys please help me with an answer to this question. Which substances can cosmic rays penetrate? I mean, can the cosmic rays penetrate stones, mountains, etc etc. Can they penetrate the human body also? If yes then the cosmic rays are bound to have influence on human bodies and minds? Kindly give your thoughts if you know about this. Thanks
Most of the cosmic ray radiation that reaches the ground is in the form of muons. Muons are quite penetrating, and will reach for some limited distance underground. The effect on the body is basically to cause random chemical reactions. Cosmic ray muons are one cause of cancer, for instance.
 
Cosmic rays are extremely energetic particles [atomic nuclei fragments] flung out by supernova, quasars, agn and other high energy events in the universe. They bombard Earth constantly and pass through biological materials [like humans] with ease. As Chalnoth noted, they are thought to be responsible for some cancers and mutations.
 
It can be represented like this equation.
similar to Beer-Lambert law.
I_sur/I_cos= (I_sur/I_str)(I_str/I_mes)...( ./I_cos)
I_i/I_j = exp(- a_i b_i h_i)
I_i; cosmic ray intensity at the end of the layer i.
I_j; cosmic ray intensity entering the layer i.
a_i b_i ; cosmic ray absorption constant in the layer i.
(collision reaction + absorption)
h_i; layer thickness.

.I_cos
......
.
. thermosphere
......
......
......
.
. I_sur troposphere
.....Earth surface

Total effective intensity at the surface is

I_total = I_sur + I_secondary
I_secondary; muon intensity comes from cosmic ray collision + orthers.
Its vary rare, but if cosmic ray intensity were very high, we could be highly radiated.
 
Last edited:
As far as I know, you need a good book in nuclear physics. I had not seen a great book entirely devoted to cosmic rays, although they are the source of knowledge in many sciences that use radionuclides for dating, for example. The transmutations of elements under the influence of cosmic ray particles are all around us - in the underground caves, on the rooftops and in the atmosphere.
 

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