Radiology Physics: The Electromagnetic Spectrum

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The electromagnetic spectrum is an important aspect to know and understand when learning about radiology physics. Without knowledge about the spectrum, as well as electromagnetic radiation, radiographers won’t be able to truly grasp what x-rays are. In the 1800s, a physicist by the name of James Maxwell developed the electromagnetic theory. This theory states that all electromagnetic radiation has no mass, carries its energy in waves, travels at the speed of light, and moves in vibrations of magnetic and electrical fields (Johnson & Fauber, 2016). The electromagnetic spectrum was developed so that there was a way to categorize the differing electromagnetic radiations. These radiations all have the same velocity, the speed of light, but have …show more content…

These radiations are released when changes in an atom happens (Johnson & Fauber, 2016). Electromagnetic radiation can display properties of either waves or particles, depending on its energy. Higher-energy radiation, such as x-rays and gamma rays, act more like particles. On the other hand, lower-energy radiation act more like waves, such as radiowaves and microwaves (Johnson & Fauber, 2016). Physicist Max Planck, theorized that electromagnetic radiation exists in pouches of energy, later to be called photons. He also was the first to explain how energy and frequency are directly related (Johnson & Fauber, 2016). For example, gamma rays have the highest frequency on the electromagnetic spectrum and also have the highest energy. However, wavelength and frequency are inversely connected. Gamma rays have the highest frequency, but the shortest wavelength. If we examine the other end of the spectrum, radiowaves have the lowest frequency and energy, but the longest wavelengths (Johnson & Fauber, 2016). The definitions of wavelength, amplitude, and frequencies are key in understanding more about electromagnetic radiation. Wavelength is the measurement of the distance from the peak of one wave to the peak of the following wave. Amplitude can be defined as the height of the wave. Frequency is the number of waves that pass a certain point per second (Johnson & Fauber, 2016). Electromagnetic radiation is important

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