X-rays are produced when electrons, released by a hot cathode, are accelerated using high voltage and it collides with a metal target. All this happens within a vacuum tube called the X-Ray tube.  Its wavelengths are shorter than those of UV rays and typically longer than those of gamma rays. 

 

X-ray is a type of ionizing radiation as its photons photons carry enough energy to ionize atoms and disrupt molecular bonds. This makes it a type of ionizing radiation, and therefore harmful to living tissue. A very high radiation dose over a short amount of time causes radiation sickness, while lower doses can give an increased risk of radiation-induced cancer. However, this X-Ray can be used in the medicine world as the ionizing capability of X-rays can kill malignant cells using radiation therapy in cancer treatment. 

 

This form of electromagnetic radiation interact with matter through photoabsorption, Compton scattering, and Rayleigh scattering. The strength of these interactions depend on the energy of the X-rays and the elemental composition of the material. There are two types of X-Rays: The Hard X-ray and the Soft X-Ray. 

 

Hard X-rays are X-rays with photon energies above 5–10 keV (below 0.2–0.1 nm wavelength), while those with lower energy are called soft X-rays. Due to their penetrating ability, hard X-rays are widely used to image the inside of objects in medical radiography and air port security. This is particularly useful as bones contain much calcium which absorbs x-rays efficiently. This reduces the amount of X-rays reaching the detector in the shadow of the bones, making them visible on the radiograph. The lungs and trapped gas also show up clearly because of lower absorption compared to tisssues. 

 

Before X-rays were invented, broken bones, tumors and all things beneath the skin were all diagnosed by physical examination and a doctor's best guess. 500 years before x-rays were invented, Guido Lanfranc would place a violin string between a patient's teeth. When the string was plucked, it would cause the skull to vibrate in a musical note. If the sound was bright and clear, the skull was intact and healthy. If the sound was dim and muffled, it indicated that a fracture was likely present. His results were surprisingly accurate. 

 

The idea that rays could penetrate objects was not a new theory, only Rontgen was given the credit of founder since he was the first to systematically study it. He took a tube similar to fluorescent light bulbs, removed all the air and filled it with a special gas. When he passed a high electric voltage through it, the tube gave off a fluorescent glow. Roentgen then covered the tube with heavy black paper and once again passed electricity through it and noticed a barium coated screen across the lab began to glow. He then further found out these could pass through most substances and would cast shadows of solid objects on pieces of film.