Monday, May 20, 2019

Electromagnetism in X-rays

X-rays were first discovered in 1895 by a German physicist named Wilhelm Röntgen. He found out about x-rays while researching the effects of electron beams. Röntgen discovered that a screen coated with fluorescent material placed outside a discharge tube would glow even if it was shielded from the direct visible and ultraviolet light of the gaseous discharge. He was able to deduce that a invisible radiation from the tube passed through the air and caused the screen to fluoresce.

X-rays are a type of electromagnetic radiation that is most well known for being able to see through the skin to reveal images of the person's bones. X-ray machines are used all around us, whether it's in an airport or in a hospital setting. X-rays are helpful in airports to check bags while going through security.




While in hospitals or in clinical settings they help determine whether or not someone has a broken bone. Another use for x-rays is radiation therapy. Radiation therapy is used to help cancer patients because of the high energy radiation is used to kill cancer cells.

X-rays are a form of electromagnetic radiation. To produce an x-ray picture, the machine will produce a concentrated beam of electrons known as x-ray photons. This beam will travel through the air and when it comes in contact with our body tissue it produces an image on a metal film. X-rays are a form of ionizing radiation meaning that when they are interacting with matter, they are energetic enough to cause neutral atoms to eject electrons. This process is what allows the energy of the x-ray to be deposited in the matter.


Soft tissue like organs and skin cannot absorb the high energy beams, which is why it can pass through them and absorb the denser materials inside our bodies, like our bones.




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