Physics is the study of the interaction of matter & energy. Physicist strive for simplicity. There are three base quantities. Mass Length Time. Base Quantities Support Derived Quantities From the base quantities, derived quantities are formed. For radiology there are special quantities. Exposure Dose Dose equivalent Activity Units of Measure Every measurement has two parts: a magnitude and a unit. Four systems of units MKS (meters, kilograms, seconds) CGS ( centimeters, grams, seconds) British (Foot, Pound, Seconds) International (SI) (Meter, Kilogram, Seconds) Standards of Mass and Time Mass: The kilogram is the unit for Mass. Mass is not weight. For weight: The Newton or British Pound are used. Time: Time is measured in seconds Systems of Units The pound is actually a unit of force but is related to mass. The SI has four additional base units. There are special derived units and special units for derived quantities & special quantities. SI units for Radiologic Quantities British SI Exposure C/kg Air Kerma (Gya) Dose J/kg Gray (Gyt) Dose Equivalent J/kg Seivert (Sv) Activity s-1 Becquerel (Bq) Direction of Motion Mechanics deals with the motion of objects. Motion of an object is described by the use of two terms: Velocity or speed or how fast the object is moving. Acceleration or the rate of change of velocity. Velocity of light c= 3 x 108m/s Velocity or Speed Velocity is how fast an object is moving or the rate of change of position in time. The metric measure is kilometers per hour or meters per second. V= Distance / Time Average velocity is determined by adding the initial velocity and final velocity and dividing by 2. Acceleration Acceleration is the rate of change of velocity. It is measured in m/s2. Acceleration is velocity divided by time or distance divided twice by time If velocity is constant, the acceleration would be zero. Newtons Laws of Motion Newtons First Law: A body will remain at rest or continue moving with a constant velocity in a straight line unless acted on by an external force. The Law of Inertia Newtons Laws of Motion Newtons second law define force: The force (F) acting on an object with acceleration (a) is equal to the mass (m) multiplied by the acceleration. Force is mass times acceleration. SI unit is Newton CGS unit is dyne. (1N=103 dyne) F=ma Newtons Laws of Motion Newtons Third Law: To every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Weight WT = mg Weight (WT) is a force on a body caused by gravity. This rate is called the acceleration of gravity (g) The value for earth are: SI g= 9.8 m/s2 CGS g= 980 cm/s2 British g= 32 ft/s2 Momentum p = mv Momentum is represented by p Momentum is the product of mass and velocity. The greater the velocity of an object, the more momentum the object possesses. The conservation of momentum law states the total momentum before any interaction is equal to the total momentum after the interaction. Work = fd Work done on an object is the force applied times the distance over which it is applied. The SI unit is joule (j) The CGS unit is erg An object held motionless has no work according to the physics term. Power P=Work/t Power is the rate of doing work. The SI term for power is watt (W) or Joules/ second. The British term is horsepower (hp) 1 hp= 746 w 1000 W= 1 kilowatt (kW) Energy Energy is the ability to do work. Energy may be transformed from one form to another but it cannot be created or destroyed. The units for energy and work are the same. To make x-ray, electrical energy is converted heat and x-rays in the x-ray tube. Mechanical Energy There are two types of mechanical energy. Kinetic Energy (KE) or energy in motion KE = 1/2 mv2 Kinetic energy is dependent upon the mass of the object and the square of the velocity. Potential Energy (PE) or stored energy of position or configuration. PE= mgh where h is the height above the earths surface. Heat Heat is a form of energy important to radiology. Excessive heat will damage x- ray tubes. Heat is the amount of kinetic energy of the random disordered motion of molecules. The unit for heat is calorie. Heat 1 calorie equals the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of 1 g of water 1 degree C. Heat is transferred three ways. Conduction Convection Thermal reaction Heat Conduction is the transfer of heat by molecular motion. Convection is the mechanical transfer of hot molecules in a gas or liquid from one place to another. Heat Thermal reaction is the transfer of heat through space that depends upon the temperature of the object. X-ray tubes use thermal reaction for cooling. Thermal radiation is the transfer of heat by the emission of infrared radiation. It is that red glow that come off very hot objects. Temperature units There are three scales of temperature Fahrenheit (F) Tf= 9/5Tc -32 Celsius (C) Tc= 5/9Tf +32 Kelvin (K) Tk = Tc +273 Chapter 3 The Atom One of sciences most pronounced and continuing investigation has been determining the structure of matter. The Greek used the term atom to describe the smallest part of the four substances of matter. They were air, fire water earth. This persisted until 1808. The Atom Today there are over 100 elements: 92 are naturally occurring and over 15 have been artificially produced In 1808, John Dalton showed that elements could be classified according to integral values of atomic mass. The Atom through the Ages The Elements In the middle of the 19th century, a Russian scholar Dmitri Mendeleev was credited with showing that if the elements were arranged in the order of increasing atomic mass, a periodic repetition of similar chemical properties occurred. His work resulted in the Periodic Table of the Elements The Atom In the late 1890s J.J. Thompson theorized that the atom was like a plumb pudding where the plumbs represent negatively charged electron and the pudding was a shapeless mass of positive electrification. In 1911 Earnest Rutherford disproved Thompsons model of the atom. The Atom The Rutherford atom has a small positively charged nucleus and a cloud of negatively charged electrons. In 1913 Neils Bohr improved upon Rutherfords description of the atom as a miniature solar system. His method still works though quantum mechanics model is more accurate. The Molecule Atoms of various elements combine to form molecules. A measurable quantity of one type of molecules is called a chemical compound. Molecules make structures. Fundamental Particles The atom as described by Bohr consists of orbiting negatively charges electrons and a nucleus containing protons and neutrons which are made of quarks bound together by gluons. Fundamental Particles The fundamental particles of the atoms are electrons, protons and neutrons. Atomic particles are so small, they are expressed in atomic mass units. 1 amu = 1/12 the mass of a carbon 12 atom. Atomic Structure The nucleus of the atom contains 99.98% of the mass of a element. The nucleus contains nucleons called protons and neutrons. The neutron has no charge while the protons carry a positive charge. The electrons carry a negative charge and are arranged in shell. The arrangement of shells determine how the atom reacts chemically or how it combines with other atoms to form molecules. Atomic Structure The number of protons determines the chemical element. Atoms with a different number of neutrons are called isotopes. The electrons are arranged in shells given codes K, L,M,N,.. To represent the electron binding energies. K being the innermost shell. Electrons closer to the nucleus have higher binding energies. Electrons farther away from the nucleus have greater potential energy. Atomic Structure Atoms are electrically neutral. Because the number of electrons and protons are equal. The positive charge of the nucleus provided a binding force for the atom. If the atom has an extra electron or an electron is removed, it is said to be ionized. Ionized atoms are no longer electrically neutral. Ionization is possible only with addition or loss of electrons. A change in protons would change the element. A change in neutrons would not cause ionization. Electron Arrangement Physicist call the shell number n the principle quantum number. The maximum number of electrons that can exist in each shell increases with the distance of the shell from the nucleus. The number can be calculated by the expression 2n2 where n is the shell number. Electron Arrangement The number of electrons in the outermost shell of an atom is equal to its group in the periodic table. The number of electrons in the outermost shell determines the valence of a atom. The number of the outermost shell of an atom is equal to its period in the periodic table. Electron Arrangement No outer shell can contain more than 8 electrons. All atoms that have one electron in the outer shell fall in group one of the periodic table and two electrons fall in group two. This orderly progression is interrupted in the 4th period. Instead of adding another electron to the outer shell, one is added to the inner shell. These are called transitional elements. Electron Arrangement Shell notation of the electron arrangement of an atoms not only identifies the relative distance of an electron from the nucleus but indicates the relative binding energy by which the electron is bound to the nucleus. The centripetal force or the force of attraction of the negative charge of the electron and the positive charge of the nucleus balances the centrifugal force or the force of the electron velocity to keep the electrons in precise orbits. Electron Binding Energy The strength of the attachment of the electron to the nucleus is called the electron binding energy or Eb. The electron closer to the nucleus is more tightly bound than the outer shell electron. Not all K-shell electrons are bound with the same binding energy. The greater the total number of electrons, the more tightly each is bound. Electron Binding Energy The larger and more complex atoms have higher Eb than smaller atoms because of the greater number of protons. It take more energy to ionize these larger atoms. Carbon is one of the important components of human tissue. As with other tissue atoms, Eb is approximately 10 eV. Yet is take about 34eV to ionize tissue atoms. The 34 eV is called the ionization potential. The difference 24 eV causes multiple excitations resulting in heat. Atomic Nomenclature Often elements are identified by an alphabetic abbreviation called the atomic symbol. The chemical properties are determined by the number and arrangement of electrons. In the neutral atom, the number of electrons and protons are the same. This is called the atomic number or Z. Atomic Nomenclature The number of protons and number of neutrons in the nucleus of the atoms is called the atomic mass number or A. The atomic mass number and the precise mass number are not equal. The actual precise atomic number (amu) is determined by actual measurement. The Tungsten Atom Isotopes Atoms that have the same atomic number but different atomic mass numbers are isotopes. Barium has an atomic number of 56. Its atomic mass number is 138 and is based upon the average of the seven isotopes of barium. Each has a different atomic mass but reacts chemically the same. Isobars Isobars are atoms that have different numbers of protons and neutrons but the same number of nucleons. Isobaric radioactive transitions from parent atom to daughter atoms result in the release of a beta particle or positron. The parent atom and the daughter atoms are of different elements. Isotones & Isomers Atoms with the same number of neutrons but different number of protons are isotones. Isomers have the same atomic number and the same atomic mass number. Characteristics of Various Nuclear Arrangements Arrangement Atomic Atomic Mass Neutron Number Number Number Isotope Same Different Different
Isobar Different Same Different
Isotone Different Different Same
Isomer Same Same Same
Combinations of Atoms Atoms of various elements may combine to form structures called molecules. A compound is any quantity of one type of molecule. Radioactivity Some atoms have nuclei that contain excess energy or an unstable nucleus. To reach stability, the nucleus spontaneously emits particles and energy to transform itself into another atom. This process is called radioactive disintegration or radioactive decay. Radioactivity These atoms are called radionuclides. Any nuclear arrangement is called a nuclide while only those at under go decay are radionuclides. When an atom contains too many or too few neutrons, it will under go radioactive decay. Radioactivity There are only two sources of naturally occurring radioisotopes. They were formed when the earth was formed. They are exposed to cosmic radiation in the upper atmosphere. Artificially produced radioisotopes have been identified for almost every element. Radioactivity There are many ways by which radioisotopes can decay to reach stability but only two are of particular importance. Beta emission Alpha emission Radioactivity During Beta emission , an electron like particle is ejected from the nucleus with considerable kinetic energy. The neutron is transformed into a proton. Most elements are capable of Beta emission. Radioactivity Alpha emission is much more violent. An alpha particle consists of two neutrons and two protons. The atom loses two units of positive charge and four of mass. It must be a very unstable to under go alpha emission. Radioactivity Some radioisotopes are pure beta emitters and some are pure alpha emitters but most emit gamma rays simultaneously with the particles. Radioactive materials disintegrate at an ever decreasing rate. The half life is the time it takes for the quantity of radioactivity to be reduced by 50%. Radioactivity The concept of half life is essential to radiology. It is used daily in nuclear medicine. Its parallel in x-ray terminology is Half Value layer Radiation There are two types of ionizing radiation. Particulate radiation Alpha particles Beta particles Electromagnetic Radiation X-rays Gamma Rays Alpha Particles Alpha particles have atomic mass of 4 with a positive charge. Because of its mass, it easily transfers its kinetic energy to the orbital electrons resulting in ionization. Alpha particles are emitted by the nuclei of heavy elements. The average alpha particle has 4 to 7 MeV. Beta Particles Beta particles have no atomic mass and carry a negative charge. The only difference between an electron and a beta particle is its origin. It has 0 to 7 MeV Kinetic energy and can penetrate 2 cm of tissue. Electromagnetic Radiation Gamma rays and x-rays are often called photons. A photon is the smallest unit of electromagnetic radiation. Photons have no mass or charge and travel at the speed of light. Like beta particles, the difference between gamma rays and x-rays is their point of origin. Electromagnetic Radiation Gamma rays are emitted from the nucleus of a radioisotope. They have 0-5 MeV and can penetrate 30 cm of tissue X-rays are produced outside the nucleus in the electron shells. They have 0-100 MeV and can penetrate 30 cm of tissue. Chapter 5 Electromagnetic Radiation A photon is the smallest element of electromagnetic energy. Photons are energy disturbances moving through space at the speed of light. Photons have no mass but they do have electric and magnetic fields. Electromagnetic Radiation A field is an interaction between different energies, forces or masses that can not be seen but can be described mathematically. Electromagnetic Radiation can be represented by the sine-wave model. Sine-waves have amplitude.Amplitude is one half the range from crest to valley over a sine wave. Electromagnetic Radiation The important properties of the sine-wave model are frequency(f) and wavelength() and velocity. Frequency is the number of wavelengths passing a point per second. Frequency is identified as oscillations per second and measured in hertz (Hz). Electromagnetic Radiation Wavelength is the distance from one crest to another or from any point in the wave to the next corresponding point. The wave parameters are very important. A change in one affects the value of one or both of the others. Electromagnetic Radiation At a given velocity, wavelength and frequency are inversely proportional. The Wave Formula Velocity= Frequency x Wavelength Electromagnetic Radiation With EMF we know the velocity so the formula is simplified. c= f or f= c/ or = c/f As frequency increases, wavelength decreases and vice versa For electromagnetic radiation, frequency and wavelength are inversely proportional. Electromagnetic Spectrum The electromagnetic spectrum includes the entire range of electromagnetic radiation. The frequency range is from about 102 to 1024 Hz Photon wavelengths range from 107 to 10-16m. Grouped together, these radiations make up the electromagnetic spectrum. Electromagnetic Spectrum Three important ranges. Visible light Radio frequency X-radiation Others include: UV IR and microwave Electromagnetic Spectrum EMF can be measured in three formats Energy (eV) used to describe x-rays Frequency (Hz) Wavelength (m) Visible Light Measured in wavelength. A prism is used to refract or change the direction of the photons. Only form of EMF that we can sense. Forms of Light Visible light ranges from 700nm to 400nm wavelength. Infrared light have longer wavelength than visible light but shorter than microwaves. Ultraviolet light is located between visible light and ionizing radiation. Radiofrequency AM radio, FM radio and Television are other forms of electromagnetic radiation. With radio, the frequency is used to identify the station. Short wavelength radiofrequency are referred to as microwaves. Ionizing Radiation Unlike visible light or radiofrequency, ionizing electromagnetic radiation is characterized by the energy contained in the photon. When we use 70 kVp, the photon will have energy varying from 0 to 70 keV. Ionizing Radiation The frequency is much higher and wavelength much shorter for x-rays compared to any other form of electromagnetic radiation. Visible light identified by wavelength Radiofrequency identified by frequency X-rays identified by energy Ionizing Radiation The only difference between X-rays and gamma rays is their origin. X-rays are produced outside the nucleus. Gamma rays are produced inside the nucleus of radioactive atoms. Wave-Particle Duality A x-radiation photon and a visible light photon are fundamentally the same except that x-radiation photons have a much higher frequency and shorter wavelength. These differences change the way they interact with matter. Visible light tends to behave as waves. Wave-Particle Duality X-radiation tends to behave more as particles than waves. Both types of photons exhibit both types of behavior and this is referred to as the wave-particle duality of radiation. Photons interact with matter when the matter is approximately the same size as the photon wavelength. Wave-Particle Duality Radio & television photons wavelength is measured in meters and interact with long metal rods called antennae. Microwave are measured in centimeters and react most easily with popcorn & hotdogs. Wave-Particle Duality Visible light wavelength is measured in micrometers or nanometers, interacts with living cells such as the rods and cones in the eye. Ultraviolet light interacts with molecules. X-rays interact with atoms and electrons. All radiation with wavelengths longer than x-rays interact primarily as a wave. Wave model: Visible Light Vision is result of specially developed organ that sense a very narrow portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. When a visible light photon strikes an object, it sets the molecule of the object into vibration. Wave model: Visible Light The orbital electrons become excited by the higher energy. This energy is immediately irradiated as another photon of light. This is referred to as reflection. Atomic and molecular structure determine which wavelength of light are reflected. Wave model: Visible Light Light photons not reflected are either absorbed or transmitted. There are three degrees of absorption: Transparency Translucency Opacity Degrees of Absorption If all of the light is transmitted almost unaltered, it is transparent. If only some of the light passes through , it is called translucent. Degrees of Absorption If all of the light is absorbed, it is called opaque. Attenuation is the sum of scattering and absorption of radiation. Radiopaque or Radiolucent Terms used to describe the appearance of objects on the x-ray film. Objects that absorb the radiation are called radiopaque. Radiopaque or Radiolucent Structures that attenuate the x-rays are referred to as Radiolucent. Bone is radiopaque. Lung is radiolucent. Inverse Square Law Radiation intensity is inversely proportional to the square of the distance from the source. The reason for the decrease is the radiation is spread over a wider area. Inverse Square Law The Inverse Square Law is used in radiography to adjust technical factors for changes in distance. It is also used for radiation protection. The farther you are away from the source, the lower the exposure. Particle Model: Quantum Theory Unlike other forms of electromagnetic radiation, x-ray energy is measured in electron volts (eV). X-ray energies range from 1 to 50 MeV X-ray wavelengths range from 10-9 to 10- 12m.
X-ray frequency range from 1018 to 1021Hz
Range of X-ray Energies Diagnostic Radiography uses the range of 30 kVp to 150 kVp. Grenz rays with energies of 10 to 20 kVp are used in dermatology. Therapy uses energies from 200 to 1000 kVp X-ray Waveform X-rays have both electric and magnetic fields. One wave represents the electric field and one the magnetic field varying at right angles to each other. Plancks Quantum Theory X-rays are created at the speed of light or they dont exist at all. The energy of a photon is directly proportional to its frequency. A photons energy is inversely proportional to the photon wavelength. Matter and Energy Like the law of the conservation of matter, the law of conservation of energy states that Energy can be neither created or destroyed. Plancks quantum physics and Einsteins physics of relativity greatly extended these theories. Matter and Energy According to quantum physics and physics of relativity, matter can be transformed into energy and vise versa. Although matter and energy are interchangeable, it is energy from the x-ray photon interacting with tissue and the image receptor that forms the basis of x- ray imaging. Mass Energy Relationship Mass and energy are two forms of the same medium. This scale shows the equivalence of mass measured in kilograms to energy measured in electron volts. The End of Lecture