P3.2 X-Rays And ECGs

Question 1

What is ionising radiation?

Answer 1

Ionising radiation turns atoms into ions by removing some of their outer electrons. Some types of electromagnetic radiation are ionising.

Question 2

What increases ionising power?

Answer 2

The more energy the x-Ray’s have the more ionising they are. The higher the frequency the higher the energy, so the higher the ionising power.

Question 3

What are the components of an x-Ray machine?

Answer 3

• Evacuated tube
• Anode and Cathode
• Wire filament
• Electron gun

Question 4

Why does an x-ray machine have an evacuated tube?

Answer 4

So that the electrons do not collide with other particles as they cross the tube.

Question 5

What does the cathode do?

Answer 5

The cathode is a wire filament. When it is heated it becomes an electron gun because it emits electrons in a process called thermionic emission.