As the quality of the beam increases, attenuation will:

The correct answer is that attenuation will decrease as the quality of the beam increases.

In radiographic imaging, beam quality is primarily determined by the energy of the x-rays; a higher quality beam possesses greater energy and penetrative ability. When a beam is of higher quality, it is more effective at traversing through tissues and materials. This means there are fewer interactions between the x-rays and the atoms in the body, leading to less scattering and absorption. Consequently, as the beam quality improves, the amount of attenuation—defined as the reduction in the intensity of the x-ray beam as it passes through matter—will decrease.

In contrast, lower quality beams, which consist of lower energy x-rays, tend to be absorbed more significantly by tissues, resulting in higher levels of attenuation. Higher energy photons are less likely to be absorbed and more likely to pass through, thus reducing attenuation. Therefore, as the beam quality increases, ultimately leading to decreased attenuation, the enhanced ability of the beam to penetrate materials reflects an improvement in imaging quality and diagnostic utility.