
What Are X-Rays? The Powerful Waves
X rays are a form of electromagnetic radiation, as is visible light, but with some different characteristics.
The important difference is that X rays can penetrate or pass through the human body and produce shadow-like images of structures such as bones, some of the organs, and signs of disease and injury.
When the body undergoes X-rays, different parts of the body allow varying amounts of the X-ray beams to pass through. The soft tissues in the body (such as blood, skin, fat, and muscle) allow most of the X-ray to pass through and appear dark gray on the film or digital media.
A bone or a tumor, which is more dense than soft tissue, allows few of the X-rays to pass through and appears white on the X-ray. When a break in a bone has occurred, the X-ray beam passes through the broken area and appears as a dark line in the white bone.

This beam travels through the air, comes into contact with our body tissues, and produces an image on a metal film. Soft tissue, such as skin and organs, cannot absorb the high-energy rays, and the beam passes through them. Dense materials inside our bodies, like bones, absorb the radiation.
How are X-rays performed?
X-rays can be performed on an outpatient basis, or as part of inpatient care.
Although each facility may have specific protocols in place, generally, an X-ray procedure follows this process:
The patient will be asked to remove any clothing or jewelry which might interfere with the exposure of the body area to be examined. The patient will be given a gown to wear if clothing must be removed.
The patient is positioned on an X-ray table that carefully positions the part of the body that is to be X-rayed--between the X-ray machine and a cassette containing the X-ray film or specialized image plate. Some examinations may be performed with the patient in a sitting or standing position.
Body parts not being imaged may be covered with a lead apron (shield) to avoid exposure to the X-rays.
The X-ray beam will be aimed at the area to be imaged.
The patient must be very still or the image will be blurred.
The technologist will step behind a protective window and the image is taken.
Depending on the body part under study, various X-rays may be taken at different angles, such as the front and side view during a chest X-ray.
Common FAQ’S On X-Ray’s!
1) Who invented the first X ray?
Yet, despite their versatility, the invention of the X-ray wasn’t intentional. The scientific and medical community will forever be indebted to an accidental discovery made by German physicist Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen in 1895.
2) When was the first X ray machine used?
History. X-rays were discovered in 1895 by Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen (1845-1923) who was a Professor at Wuerzburg University in Germany. Working with a cathode-ray tube in his laboratory, Roentgen observed a fluorescent glow of crystals on a table near his tube.
3) What is the X ray machine?
Description: X-ray, or radiography, is the oldest and most common form of medical imaging. An X-ray machine produces a controlled beam of radiation, which is used to create an image of the inside of your body. … Dense tissue, such as bone, blocks most of the radiation and appears white on the film.
4) How do X rays get absorbed?
Soft tissue absorbs few rays, but the calcium in bones absorbs more, so it shows up white in x-rays. Lungs are full of air, which does not absorb the rays at all, so they appear black. As the nucleus of a radioactive atom decays, three different types of radiation are produced: alpha, beta and gamma.
5) Why is lead used to block radiation?
Lead can effectively attenuate certain kinds of radiation because of its high density and high atomic number; principally, it is effective at stopping gamma rays and x-rays.
