X-Rays Vs Ultrasound
X-rays and Ultrasound:
X-rays and ultrasound are two different modalities used for different things, so an ultrasound can do some things an X ray cannot, and vice versa, and so this makes them very difficult to directly compare.
Ultrasound:
Above: An ultrasound machine.
Ultrasound is the use of energy generated by sound waves of 20,000 or more vibrations per second.
Ultrasounds are generated by a device called a transducer. Bearing in mind that sound is a mechanical energy, the transducer uses a crystal driver to concert electrical energy into mechanical energy. The crystal can change shape via electrical stimulation, as the change in shape squeezes the crystal, causing it to generate an electrical signal. The transducer is used to send out a signal and then listen out for the echo, which generates the image seen on ultrasounds. Humans …show more content…
X-radiation (which is composed of X-rays, hence the name) falls under electromagnetic radiation. X-rays and gamma rays are sometimes confused, but they are different, as X-rays are emitted by electrons outside the nucleus whilst gamma rays are produced inside the nucleus.
X-rays have extremely small wavelengths (10-0.1 nanometers) and so long exposure to them can cause humans harm, but one X-ray here or there is not bad, and this is why medical X-rays are not deadly if used accordingly, but doctors who operate the machinery must wear protective lead aprons as they are often exposed to the radiation.
To generate X-rays you need three things, firstly you need a source of electrons, secondly you need a means of accelerating those electrons to excessively high speeds, and lastly you need a material to receive the impact of the electrons and thus interact with
X-rays and ultrasound are two different modalities used for different things, so an ultrasound can do some things an X ray cannot, and vice versa, and so this makes them very difficult to directly compare.
Ultrasound:
Above: An ultrasound machine.
Ultrasound is the use of energy generated by sound waves of 20,000 or more vibrations per second.
Ultrasounds are generated by a device called a transducer. Bearing in mind that sound is a mechanical energy, the transducer uses a crystal driver to concert electrical energy into mechanical energy. The crystal can change shape via electrical stimulation, as the change in shape squeezes the crystal, causing it to generate an electrical signal. The transducer is used to send out a signal and then listen out for the echo, which generates the image seen on ultrasounds. Humans …show more content…
X-radiation (which is composed of X-rays, hence the name) falls under electromagnetic radiation. X-rays and gamma rays are sometimes confused, but they are different, as X-rays are emitted by electrons outside the nucleus whilst gamma rays are produced inside the nucleus.
X-rays have extremely small wavelengths (10-0.1 nanometers) and so long exposure to them can cause humans harm, but one X-ray here or there is not bad, and this is why medical X-rays are not deadly if used accordingly, but doctors who operate the machinery must wear protective lead aprons as they are often exposed to the radiation.
To generate X-rays you need three things, firstly you need a source of electrons, secondly you need a means of accelerating those electrons to excessively high speeds, and lastly you need a material to receive the impact of the electrons and thus interact with