X-rays
- Page ID
- 78088
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X-rays are electromagnetic radiation with very short wavelengths and high energy.
X-rays have high energy and they penetrate opaque material, but are absorbed by materials containing heavy elements. As an x-ray beam travels through a substance its intensity decreases with distance traveled through the matter.
- Is water or Cr a better absorber of X-rays?
- What effect does the wavelength of the X-ray sources have on penetration of X-rays?
Try the following demonstration below to help in answering these questions:
Click on Image (Note this will open in a new window)
Applet from: matter.org.uk (www.matter.org.uk/diffraction...iffraction.htm)
In addition to adsorption, X-rays can also be scattered and diffracted by a material.
- What do you think makes something scatter vs. diffract?
Let’s take a look at the next section on Diffraction to learn more.