Dense areas of the body absorb the most X-rays.

• A. True
• B. False
• C. Often true
• D. Not related to absorption

Answer: (A)

Dense tissues absorb more X-rays because there is more material for photons to interact with. In diagnostic radiography, bone, with its high density and calcium content, attenuates the beam more than soft tissue, so fewer X-ray photons reach the detector and bone appears white (radiopaque) on the image. Soft tissues attenuate less and appear gray, while air attenuates very little and looks black. The dominant interaction at diagnostic energies is the photoelectric effect, which increases with higher density and atomic number, explaining why dense areas absorb more. So the statement is true.