What is X-rays: Definition and 105 Discussions

An X-ray, or, much less commonly, X-radiation, is a penetrating form of high-energy electromagnetic radiation. Most X-rays have a wavelength ranging from 10 picometers to 10 nanometers, corresponding to frequencies in the range 30 petahertz to 30 exahertz (30×1015 Hz to 30×1018 Hz) and energies in the range 124 eV to 124 keV. X-ray wavelengths are shorter than those of UV rays and typically longer than those of gamma rays. In many languages, X-radiation is referred to as Röntgen radiation, after the German scientist Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen, who discovered it on November 8, 1895. He named it X-radiation to signify an unknown type of radiation. Spellings of X-ray(s) in English include the variants x-ray(s), xray(s), and X ray(s).

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  1. Astronuc

    Information on X-rays and Gamma Rays

    X-ray energies increase with atomic number, Z. X-rays originate from photon emissions as electrons drop back into the K and L shells of atoms. Thus they have characteristic wavelengths. Hydrogen has the lowest energy X-rays (Ek=13.6 eV) which is the first ionzation potential. It has one...
  2. N

    Electron Collisions: How do Electrons Knock Loose Atoms?

    @ howstuffworks.com, it says: I thought that only photons could knock and electron loose. How do electrons do the same? [edit] Actually, I was viewing http://www.cvm.okstate.edu/~groups/students/web/2001/diagimag/Physics_of_Radiology.ppt , and on slide 22-23, it shows the knocking...
  3. turin

    How do we detect x-rays from the center of our galaxy?

    How can we see the x-ray emission from the center of our galaxy? I thought that the intersteller dust extinguished practically all of the visible light from that direction, which is why we can't "see" the bulge. How then, can even shorter wavelength photons manage to get through? I thought...
  4. Monique

    Dental X-rays linked to small babies

    http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994927" It seems that the organs that could be affected are the hypothalamus, the pituitary and the thyroid gland. Although it is ofcourse possible that requiring an X-ray itself might be the riskfactor.. The dental records of total 4500 women...
  5. D

    Is there a formula for energy associated with x-rays?

    Is there a formula to work out the energy associated with x-rays when i have a frequency and wavelength?
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