When the distance from the x-ray source increases, what happens to the beam intensity?

When the distance from the x-ray source increases, the beam intensity decreases due to the inverse square law, which states that the intensity of radiation is inversely proportional to the square of the distance from the source. As the distance doubles, the beam intensity is reduced to one-fourth of its original value. This is because the x-ray photons spread out over a larger area as they travel away from the source, and thus, the number of photons per unit area diminishes. Therefore, the intensity of the x-ray beam will always decrease as the distance from the source increases. This principle is fundamental in radiography as it impacts image quality and patient safety.