What are they?
X-ray waves have very tiny wavelengths, and therefore higher frequency, making them carry high amounts of energy. They have shorter wavelengths than ultraviolet, but longer wavelengths than gamma rays. Like Ultraviolet, these rays can cause harm to living tissue as incorrect exposure causes DNA damage to cells.
The higher the frequency, the more energy it has to penetrate through living cells as living cells needs shorter wavelengths to pass through than solid objects. Hence, this means that X-rays can pass through skin, muscle, flesh and tissue compared to just skin for UV rays.
Applications
- Viewing bone structures: because X-rays pass through flesh (but are absorbed or blocked by higher density materials such as bones and metal) we can see the bone structures and detect fractures, or search for foreign objects ingested in the body. A beam of X-rays is sent through the patient and onto a piece of film which goes dark when X-rays hit it. While patches are left where the bones were located (because it obstructed their way), Doctors are able to examine the bones from the sheet of film.
- Cancer therapy: High energy radiation can be directed at certain cancer cells to damage their DNA and kill them. However, the treatment can also damage normal cells and the risk is very high.
- Airport security: They are used airport security to scan the contents of people's luggages to ensure that people arent carrying dangerous hazards onto the plane.
- Astronomy: X-rays ,emitted by objects such a stars and black holes in space, are detected by satellites to be used for studies. Because the earth's atmosphere blocks most of X-rays from space, study is usually conducted in space stations.
- CAT scans and MRLs: The energy of X-rays can be lowered so that they don't pass through all the tissue, making it possible to distinguish between densities in tissue. X-rays can be used to scan soft areas such as the brain for abnormal tissue, which is useful for diagnosing tumors.
Advantages
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Disadvantages
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