Radiographic Science 2 - Equipment Operation and Quality Control

Vocabulary flashcards highlighting key terms and concepts from the lecture on radiographic science.

Law of Conservation of Energy

Matter and energy can neither be created nor destroyed.

Potential Energy

Stored energy by virtue of position.

Kinetic Energy

Energy in motion.

Thermal Energy

Energy of motion at the molecular level.

Electromagnetic Radiation

Radiation that has no mass and travels at the speed of light.

Wavelength

Distance between two successive crests or troughs of a wave.

Frequency

Number of waves passing a given point per unit time, expressed in Hertz.

Ionization

Process of removing electrons from their orbit, making x-rays dangerous if misused.

Photon

A type of energy that is not classified as matter.

Bremsstrahlung

Means 'breaking radiation'; occurs when a projectile electron misses orbital electrons and slows down near the nucleus.

Characteristic Interactions

Interactions that occur when a projectile electron ejects an electron from the K shell.

Anode

The positive charged part of the x-ray tube that produces x-rays when bombarded by electrons.

Cathode

The negatively charged part of the x-ray tube that emits electrons.

Thermionic Emission

Process of boiling off electrons from the filament when heated.

Tube current

Flow of electrons from cathode to anode, measured in milliamperes (mA).

Exposure button

Button that applies the kVp across the tube, causing the tube current.

mAs

Milliamperes-second, the factor that controls the quantity of the x-ray beam.

Inverse Square Law

Describes how intensity of radiation decreases with distance; doubling distance reduces dose to ¼.

Filtration

The process of removing low-energy photons from the x-ray beam to reduce patient dose.

Quality of x-ray beam

Refers to the penetrating power of the beam, affected by kV and filtration.

Properties of x-rays

Invisible, electrically neutral, with no mass, travel at the speed of light, can penetrate the human body.

Secondary Radiation

Radiation produced when x-rays are absorbed by tissue.