A wedge transmission factor of 0.895 indicates a wedge attenuation of the incident beam by _____

A wedge transmission factor quantifies the amount of attenuation the wedge material provides to the radiation beam as it passes through. The transmission factor is expressed as a decimal representing the fraction of the original beam that remains after passing through the wedge.

In this case, a wedge transmission factor of 0.895 means that 89.5% of the beam is transmitted through the wedge. To determine the attenuation of the incident beam, one can subtract the transmission factor from 1. This calculation reflects how much of the beam is absorbed or scattered by the wedge.

1 - 0.895 = 0.105

This result of 0.105, when converted to a percentage, equates to 10.5%. Therefore, the wedge is attenuating the incident beam by 10.5%, as it retains 89.5% of it. This information is crucial for accurately planning and delivering radiation treatments, as the attenuation affects the dose delivered to the target as well as surrounding tissues.