Published In

The Physics Teacher

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-2015

Subjects

Radiobiology, Physics -- Study and teaching (Higher)

Abstract

Planar x-ray imaging is a ubiquitous diagnostic tool and is routinely performed to diagnose conditions as varied as bone fractures and pneumonia. The underlying principle is that the varying attenuation coefficients of air, water, tissue, bone, or metal implants within the body result in non-uniform transmission of x-ray radiation. Through the detection of transmitted radiation, the spatial organization and composition of materials in the body can be ascertained. In this paper, we describe an original apparatus that teaches these concepts by utilizing near infrared radiation and an up-converting phosphorescent screen to safely probe the contents of an opaque enclosure.

Description

Copyright © 2015 All rights reserved. The Physics Teacher is copyrighted. Individual articles in The Physics Teacher are copyrighted by the society, as indicated on each article.

Original published in The Physics Teacher and can be found online at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1119/1.4904245

DOI

10.1119/1.4904245

Persistent Identifier

http://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/17827

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