Daniel Mortensen
Hour 5
X-rays
X-rays have many uses in modern society. They are used in medicine
to help diagnose problems, and in industry to help identify structural
problems in various machines and other products. Without x-rays, many parts
of modern life would be made much more difficult.
X-rays were discovered accidentally by German physicist Wilhelm
Conrad Roentgen. He was studying cathode rays in high voltage tubes. Whenever
the tube was in operation he noticed that a nearby barium-platinocyanide
screen emitted a fluorescent light. After further experiments he determined
that the fluorescence was caused by an invisible radiation. This radiation
was more penetrating in nature than ultraviolet rays. Because of the mysterious
nature of these rays he called them X-rays.
X-rays are simply electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength
between 100 A to 0.01 A ( 1 A is equivalent to about .000000001cm). They
are produced whenever high-velocity electrons strike a material object.
When a photon in the x-ray portion of the electromagnetic spectrum hits
an atom it ejects an electron from this atom. This is called the photoelectric
effect.
X-rays are typically used in three fields; scientific research,
industry and medicine. X-rays have been used to help produce enlarged images
of molecular and atomic structures. They are used in airports to check
luggage for metal objects. It is used in the medical field to check for
broken limbs, bullets lodged inside oneís body, and other foreign
matter inside the human body.
In conclusion x-rays have played a major role in the twentieth
century because of their ability to see objects that the human eye can’t.
I pity tha foo, who don’t respect x-rays.
Bibliography
Burke, Raymond. The Modern X-Ray. Gayle Research Inc., Detroit, 1998
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