What does the inverse square law describe?

The inverse square law describes the relationship between distance and dose rate in the context of radiation and sound intensity. Specifically, it indicates that as the distance from a radiation source increases, the intensity or dose rate of radiation decreases with the square of the distance. This means that if you double the distance from the source, the dose rate will become one-fourth as intense. This principle is crucial in fields such as radiology, where understanding the impact of distance on radiation exposure is essential for safety and effective treatment planning.

The other concepts, while relevant in their own fields, do not pertain to the specific relationship outlined by the inverse square law. For example, the relationship between dose and time concerns how long a person is exposed to radiation rather than how distance affects the rate of exposure. Energy and wavelength relate to the properties of light and electromagnetic waves and do not involve distance. Lastly, the relationship between mass and velocity is about physics principles such as momentum, which is unrelated to the changes in intensity with distance seen in the inverse square law.