X-Ray History Flashcards
List and define the foundational principles to the scientific method.
Parsimony - Simplifying concepts and formulas
Reproducibility - Can be duplicated by different people at a different time
Falsifiability - Can logically and logistically be proven false
Observation - Can be directly observed with the human senses
Measurability - Can be quantified mathematically
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Theories founded in the scientific method must allow the possibility that a position can be
proven ________________.
Wrong
In your text it explains that there are aspects of radiology that are quantifiable, list the aspects
that the text points out that are mathematically measurable.
Contrast, brightness, noise, sharpness, distortion, repeat rate
What are the standards of practice for all radiographers discussed in the text?
Good common
sense, sound judgement, logical consistency, and objective knowledge
Which was first, the invention of man-made radiation or the discovery of natural radioactivity?
Invention of man-made radiation
Were x-rays discovered by accident or was it an intentional discovery?
By accident
Who is Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen and what he is known for?
He was a German scientist who
discovered x-rays on Nov. 8, 1895 while conducting experiments in his lab at Wurzburg
University in Germany.
When were x-rays discovered?
Nov. 8, 1895
The streams of electricity “jumping” from the cathode to the anode of a glass tube were called
__________________________ when they were first discovered.
Cathode rays
The glass tubes that scientist were experimenting with while researching cathode rays
were called __________________.
Crookes Tubes.
When experiments where being conducted on cathode rays, scientist created a vacuum in the
Crookes tube. What was happening that motivated them to do this? What did they later
discover about when there is no vacuum?
The cathode rays were creating a blue glow and when
they had a vacuum in the tube, they that is made the electrons invisible to the eye. It was later
discovered that the blue glow was a result of the ionization of the air around them – so when
they had a vacuum there was not air to interact with and ionize.
What was the event during Roentgen’s experiment that caused him to think that there must be
some other type of radiation being emitted from the tube?
He was using a tube covered in black
cardboard to study how different materials fluoresced when they were in the direct path of the
cathode rays. While doing that he discovered that a paper covered with barium platinocyanide
not in the direct bath of the beam was glowing. He concluded there must be another “ray”
coming from the tube.
How did x-rays get the name x-rays?
Roentgen named it “X” for unknown because he did not
know what the rays were
What is the event attributed to the birth of the field of Radiography?
When Roentgen place his
wife’s hand in front of a screen and allowed the screen’s fluorescent light to expose
photographic film for 4 minutes producing an x-ray of her hand.
How was the process of radiography introduced to the world?
When Roentgen published a
paper called “On a New Kind of Rays”
What act of great character did Roentgen do that ensure the accessibility to his discovery to all
and why?
He did not patent it for commercial gain because he recognized its medical use.
Who was Antoine Henri Becquerel and what is he known for?
He as a French physicist who was
inspired by Roentgen to hypothesize that crystals which phosphoresce after absorbing light also
emit x-rays at the same time leading to his discovery of natural radiation.
What are the three types of natural radiation?
Alpha, Beta, and Gamma rays
Both Roentgen and Becquerel were recognized for their work by receiving what?
A Nobel Prize
Who discovered the photoelectric effect?
Albert Einstein
Who developed the fluoroscope and what did this device do?
Thomas Edison, allowed x-ray
examination in dynamic real-time
Why were fluoroscopic procedures originally limited to extreme medical need?
Because the
exposure to doctors, technologist, and patients were very high because very high exposure was
needed to for the screen to glow bright enough
