PhysicsCode 9702
Production and use of X-rays
What this topic asks you to be able to do
- explain that X-rays are produced when electrons bombard a metal target, and use the accelerating p.d. to calculate the minimum wavelength of the X-rays produced
- understand how X-rays are used to image the internal structures of the body, including what is meant by contrast in X-ray imaging
- state and apply I = I₀e–μx when working with the attenuation of X-rays in matter
- understand that computed tomography (CT) scanning builds a 3D image of a structure inside the body in two stages: several X-ray images of one section, taken from different angles, are combined into a 2D image of that section; this is repeated at positions along an axis, and the 2D images of the sections are then combined