Relative biological effectiveness

Okay kiddo, have you ever heard of radiation? It's a type of energy that comes from things like the sun, our phones, and even medical machines. Sometimes, our bodies can handle radiation pretty well, but other times it can cause damage to our cells and make us sick.

Now, let's talk about something called relative biological effectiveness, or RBE for short. Basically, RBE is a way for scientists to measure how much damage different types of radiation can cause to our cells.

Think of different types of radiation like different superheroes. Some superheroes have powers that are more powerful than others. For example, Superman is stronger than Batman. Similarly, some types of radiation are more powerful than others when it comes to causing damage to our cells.

But not all cells in our bodies are affected the same way by radiation. For example, if radiation hits our skin, it might not cause as much damage as if it hits our bones. So scientists use RBE to figure out how much of the radiation will affect certain parts of our bodies.

So, to put it simply, RBE is a way for scientists to measure how strong different types of radiation are when it comes to causing damage to our cells and bodies. It's like figuring out which superhero is stronger, and how their powers affect different parts of our body.