How the x-ray machine works

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Dana Homerding


Mr. N. Meier


Invention essay


Do my coursework


15 September 00


The X-ray machine


The x-ray was discovered by accident. Wilhelm Roentgen was the person that made the discovery when he was experimenting with electron beams in a gas discharge tube. When the electron beam was on a fluorescent screen in his lab it started to glow. He placed various objects between the screen and tube to try and block the radiation, however the screen still glowed. When he finally placed his hand in front of the tube, he saw a silhouette of his bones.


His discovery participated in one of the most important medical advancements in the human history. The x-ray machine allows doctors to see straight through human tissue to examine broken bones, cavities, and swallowed objects with great ease. Before the x-ray machine a doctor had to do surgery to find out if the bone was broken. Hospitals can also use x-ray technology to examine softer tissue like the lungs, blood vessels, or the intestines.


The inside of a x-ray machine is an electrode pair, which is a cathode and an anode that sits inside a glass vacuum tube. A cathode is a heated filament, like what you might find in an old fluorescent lamp. There is a current that passes through the filament that heats up the machine. The heat sputters electrons off the filament surface. A


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positively charged anode, which is made of tungsten, brings the electrons across the tube. There is an extremely high voltage difference between the cathode and anode, which help the electrons fly through the tube with great force. When an electron combines with a tungsten atom it knocks loose an electron in one of the atoms lower orbital. If an electron is in higher orbital it immediately falls into the lower energy level. When that happens it releases its extra energy in the form of a photon. The photon has a high energy level because it’s a big drop from the higher orbital.


X-ray production produces a lot of heat. A motor rotates the anode to keep it from melting. Surrounding the envelope is also a cool oil bath, which also absorbs the heat. A thick lead shield surrounds the entire machine. The shield keeps the x-ray beams from escaping in all directions. There is a small window in the shield, which lets some of the photon escape in a narrow beam. On the way to the patient the beam passes through a series of filters.


On the other side of the patient there is a camera that records the pattern of the x-ray light that passes all the way through the persons body. The x-ray camera uses the same technology as a throw away one uses, however the x-ray light sets off a chemical reaction instead of visible light. Doctors usually keep the film image as a negative. On the negative hard material such as bone show up in white, while softer material show up in black or gray.


Unfortunately x-rays can be harmful. A long time ago doctors would expose themselves and their patients to the beams for long periods of time. Eventually the doctors and patients started to get a sick ness known as radiation sickness. The medical


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community figured that something was wrong. The problem is that x-rays are a form of ionizing radiation. When normal light hits an atom it can not change the atom, however when a x-ray hit an atom it knocks electrons off and creates an ion. An ions electrical charge can lead to dangerous chemical reactions inside cells. The charge can break DNA, which can cause the cell to die or mutate. If many cells in a person die the person can develop various diseases. However if a cell mutates it could become cancerous and spread. In sperm or an egg cell the mutation could cause birth defects. Knowing all the risk, doctors nowadays use x-rays sparingly.


X-ray machines are a wonderful yet a dangerous gift to the medical world. They let doctors see inside a patient without any surgery at all. It is easier to look at broken bones with the x-ray machine than it is to open the patient up. However they can also cause cancer and birth defects.





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