what X-rays of my teeth at the dentist show and why it has to be radioactive and what the heavy apron does
In: Physics
To clarify a potential source of confusion:
* Radiation are types of particles/waves. There are many different kinds. X-rays are a type of radiation (as are alpha particles, beta particles, infrared waves, microwave radiation, visible light, radio waves, etc.). Most of the time when people talk about “radiation” popularly they mean “ionizing radiation,” which is the kind of radiation that can cause internal damage to cells by changing their chemistry. X-ray radiation is a kind of ionizing radiation. (Visible light, infrared, microwaves, and radio waves are not ionizing radiation.)
* Radioactive means a substance that has atoms which decay and release radiation. Nuclear waste is radioactive — it is constantly releasing different kinds of radiation.
* Dental X-rays are not produced by radioactive substances. They are produced by an X-ray tube, which is basically a little sealed vacuum tube where electrons are shot into a tungsten target, and the result of that is the production of X-rays (and heat).
So when people say that X-rays are not radioactive, that is what they mean. X-rays are radiation, radiation itself cannot be radioactive, and X-ray radiation is not produced through radioactivity, but is created directly through a different kind of reaction.
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