DISCOVERY

DISCOVERY
• The discovery of X-rays was by a
German physicist called Wilhelm
Roentgen. In 1895 Roentgen
discovered X-rays almost by accident.
What are X-rays?
• X-rays are electromagnetic waves like
radio and light waves.
• These all travel at the speed of light,
which is 300, 000km per second.
• The X-ray photons are emitted when
the incident electrons knock an inner
orbital electron out of an atom. When
this happens, an outer energy
electron falls into the inner shell to
replace it, losing potential energy in
doing so.
• The occurrence of X-
rays is not just on the
Earth. For instance it
has been found that X-
rays reach the Earth
from outer space.
Mysterious objects
called quasars give out
huge amounts of X-ray
energy.
USES
USES
• The main use of X-rays is in
medicine.
• A comman application is in the form
of X-ray machines, which take photos
of a patient’s body.
• The X –ray is turned on briefly and
goes through to the film.
• X-rays can also be used to
kill cancer cells, but also
kill healthy cells, so must
be used with much care.
• Other uses are in industry,
at airports to check
customers and baggage
and by art historians to see
if a picture has been
painted on top of an older
one.
SOURCES
• X-rays can come from natural
sources, such as radon gas,
radioactive elements in the earth,
and cosmic rays that hit the earth
from outer space. But this type of
radiation can also be man-made.
• X-rays and gamma rays are created in
power plants for nuclear energy, and
are also used in smaller amounts for
medical imaging tests, cancer
treatment, food irradiation, and
airport security scanners.
 AND
DISADVANTAGE
S
ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES
• X-rays are used to treat • X-rays makes our blood
malign tumors before cells to have higher
its spreads throughout level of hydrogen
the human body. peroxide which could
• They help radiologists cause cell damage.
identify cracks, • A higher risk of getting
infections, injury, and cancer from X-rays.
abnormal bones. • The X-rays are able to
• They also help in change the base of the
identifying bone DNA causing a
cancer. mutation.
• X-rays help in locating
alien objects inside the
bones or around them.
FACTS

• X-rays both types of highenergy

(high frequency) electromagnetic
radiation. They are packets of
energy that have no charge or
mass (weight). These packets of
energy are known as photons.
• X-rays are forms ofhigh-frequency
ionizing radiation, which means they
have enough energy to remove an
electron from (ionize) an atom or
molecule. Ionized molecules are
unstable and quickly undergo
chemical changes.