What are X-Rays？ ｜ Engineering Physics
What are X-rays?
Hearing the term X-ray,
the first picture that comes into our mind
are the images of our inner body parts,
such as chest,
bone etc.
But do you know what these X-rays are
and the history behind its discovery?
Let's try to understand this.
X-ray was discovered by a German physicist
Wilhelm Conrad Reutgen
at the University of Würzburg
in 1895.
Let us discuss how.
While studying the phenomena of
discharge of electricity
through the rare field gases,
Reutgen noticed that the glass wall
behind the cathode glowed.
He then covered the glass tube
with a black cardboard
and placed a fluorescent screen
behind the cathode.
He noticed that the fluorescent screen
still glowed.
Finally, he asked his wife to place her hand
between the fluorescent screen
and the glass tube.
When she did so,
he saw the shadow of the bone of her hand
projected onto the fluorescent screen.
He wasn't sure what was causing
the screen to fluorescent,
but he performed several experiments
which proved that it was something
other than the cathode ray.
Since the nature of this new radiation
was mysterious,
so Reutgen named the rays X
after the mathematical symbol
for the unknown.
Sometimes, X-rays
are also referred to as
Reutgen rays.
Thus, we can say that X-rays are radiation
that penetrates
structures within the body
and create images of these structures
on a photographic film
or a fluorescent screen.
Now, let's discuss some of the applications
of X-rays.
It is used in healthcare industries
to examine the body organs
in order to diagnose the problems.
It is also used to identify
the structure of any matter.
It is also used in airports
to check the passengers' baggage
for security reasons.
It is also used to find defects
in casting and structures.