h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

"Light rays and other forms of radiation are absorbed by the tissues in our bodies. X-rays, however, are not absorbed. They do not reflect, but pass through, and are absorbed."
These few sentences need a little work.
Visible light is reflected (if not we wouldn't see each other) or passes through (it wouldn't be as amusing to put flashlights in your mouth or nose if it didn't) or absorbed (or we could use it for x-rays).
Other forms of radiation does the same, to a lesser or larger degree. Some forms of radation is stopped by the skin, others pass through the body without any effect at all. X-rays are simply a section of the spectrum that is stopped conveniently by the toughest parts of our body, so that we easily can see bones, fractures and cutlery, and to some degree tumors. Adding certain chemical compounds to the gastro-intestinal system or our bloodstream can give good pictures of intestines and bloodvessels.
But you already know this. It's just not expressed very clearly in the aforementioned sentences.

-NAITA

Hmm, yeah. And I think that "the most major of these being that it can break DNA strains" should be perhaps strands instead of strains?

=)

Hi

great, practical article, but I saw another section you might want to clarify. Or not...

"These electrons reflect off the tungsten, and in the process lose an electron in a lower orbit."

I know what you meant from this sentence in context, but it kind of sounds like you mean that "these electrons" are losing an electron. Maybe you could say that "these electrons reflect off the tungsten, causing it to lose a low orbit/low energy (core) electron"


"The effect of this is that the electrons above move down in the levels (much in the way that if you had five books, and took the bottom one off, the rest would take its place), and in the process, emits energy. This energy is electromagnetic radiation, known as x-rays."

for clarity you might say "higher energy tungsten electrons" instead of "electrons above". This is a minor point. Also, if it is the collective motion of electrons (plural) which causes the emmision of the x-ray, then I think you should say "and in the process, emit energy."

Just my 2 cents worth. Thanks for the article!

Dave