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X-rays (or much more rarely, and usually historically, x-radiation or Roentgen rays) represent a form of ionizing electromagnetic radiation. They are produced by an x-ray tube, using a high voltage to accelerate the electrons produced by its cathode. The produced electrons interact with the anode, thus producing x-rays. The x-rays produced include Bremsstrahlung and the characteristic radiation for the anode element. X-rays can interact with matter by the following: • photoelectric effect • Compton effect • Rayleigh or classical scattering • pair production (not possible in the diagnostic radiology range) • ionization X-rays were discovered by the German physicist Wilhelm Roentgen (1845-1923) in 1895. They were named x-rays or x-radiation as Rontgen did not know what they were, and he was using the symbol 'x' for an unknown quantity or thing 1. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for his groundbreaking discovery. X-rays are produced by high-energy electrons bombarding
