CAMBRIDGE A LEVEL
PHYSICS
REMOTE SENSING
X RAY
What do you need to know? What do you need to know?
1. How does an X ray tube work?
2. How X ray photons are formed?
3. What is meant by the term Bremsstrahlung
(braking) radiation?
4. What is the difference between soft and hard X
rays?
5. Why do some materials interact less with X ray
photons compared to others?
X RAY
6. What is sharpness? How do we improve the
sharpness of an X ray image?
7. What is contrast? How do we improve the
contrast of internal organs?
8. What is sharpness? How do we improve the
sharpness of an X ray image?
X RAY I MAGES
How does an X ray tube function?
Answer: View this video on Youtube:
[Link]
QgKNpy2Y
This video may also interest you:
[Link]
K6Icu4
X RAY I MAGES
Source:
[Link]
content/uploads/2013/02/[Link]
Diagram on the left shows
a typical chest x ray
image of an adult.
We have a black
background with the
outline of skeletal
structure of the chest.
How is the image formed?
Why are the bones are
more visible as compared
to soft tissue?
X RAY I MAGES
Source:
[Link]
content/uploads/2013/02/[Link]
How are X ray images
formed?
Answer:
[Link]
/xray/how-does-x-ray-
imaginig-work
The formation of image is
considered to be
photoelectric emission
X RAY I MAGES
Source:
[Link]
content/uploads/2013/02/[Link]
X ray photons are more
likely to be absorbed by
bones as compared to
soft tissue / muscle.
The absorption of X ray
photons depend on the
density and thickness of
the material.
Hence, bones appear
white while air appears
black.
X RAY I MAGES
Source: [Link]
Table on the left shows common
material and their corresponding
mass density in kg m
-3
.
The interaction of X ray photons
with the material and undergoing
photoelectric absorption by the
material is related to the mass
density.
X RAY I MAGES
Source: [Link]
The link below connects the
colour on a X ray film and the type
of material.
[Link]
[Link]/tutorials/physics/x-
ray_physics_densities.html#top_fi
rst_img
I MPROVI NG SHARPNESS
Please read the methods of improving
sharpness (reducing the shadows) as
provided in the Application of Physics 2
Booklet pages 13 14.
Source:
[Link]
[Link]
I MPROVI NG CONTRAST
Source:
[Link]
[Link]
Internal organs are
made up of soft tissue,
no contrast with other
organs or tissue.
The contrast of internal
organs in the patient
can be increased by
consuming contrast
agents such as barium
sulphate.
I MPROVI NG CONTRAST
Source: [Link]
The image on the left shows
the partial image of a
patients heart.
This diagnosis process is
called angiography. A special
dye is injected into the
patients blood vessels to
improve the contrast of the
vessels.
The vessels are viewed using
X ray imaging.
COMPUTERI SED
TOMOGRAPHY ( CT)
COMPUTERI SED
TOMOGRAPHY ( CT)
What you need to know? What you need to know?
1. How are CT scans an improvement of X ray
imaging? Read booklet pages 15 16. View
this link :
[Link]
USg
2. What are voxels? What do the numbers
associated with each voxel represent? Refer to:
[Link]
matrix
COMPUTERI SED
TOMOGRAPHY ( CT)
COMPUTERI SED
TOMOGRAPHY ( CT)
3. How is an CT scan image reproduced? Read
application booklet pages 16 18. View also
the following videos:
a. Link:
[Link]
#t=143
b. Link:
[Link]
Y
COMPUTERI SED
TOMOGRAPHY ( CT)
COMPUTERI SED
TOMOGRAPHY ( CT)
Source: [Link]
scanner/
The image on the
left shows a CT
scanner.
The ring around
the has a rotating
X ray source.
Directly below the
X ray source is a
rotating detector.
COMPUTERI SED
TOMOGRAPHY ( CT)
COMPUTERI SED
TOMOGRAPHY ( CT)
Source: [Link]
COMPUTERI SED
TOMOGRAPHY ( CT)
COMPUTERI SED
TOMOGRAPHY ( CT)
Source: [Link]
[Link]
The image on the left
shows an image
produced by the CT
scan on a persons
lung.
CT images are 3
dimensional X ray
images.
ULTRASOUND
The image on
the left shows an
ultra sound
image of a
foetus.
Source:
[Link]
lengh_12_weeks_ecografia_Dr._Wolfgang_Moroder.jpg
ULTRASOUND
What you need to know? What you need to know?
1. What is a piezoelectric transducer? How does a
piezoelectric transducer produce and detect ultrasound
signals? Read booklet pages 19 20. View this link :
[Link]
x=2&list=PL197E659A5B2490CB ; from 0.00 to 8.40
minutes
2. How does the ultrasound obtain diagnotic information
about internal structures? Read booklet pages 20 22.
View also:
[Link]
x=2&list=PL197E659A5B2490CB ; from 8:40 onwards.
ULTRASOUND
3. What is specific acoustic impedance, ? Refer to
page 21 of booklet. How are the reflected sound
intensity and incident sound intensity related to
the specific acoustic impedance. Refer to page
21.
4. What is alpha, ? Refer to page 21 of booklet.
5. Why, before an ultrasound, gel must be applied
to the surface of the skin? Refer to page 21 and
1
st
paragraph of page 22 in booklet.
ULTRASOUND
6. What is meant by the term absorption
6. What is meant by the term absorption
coefficient, ? How are the intensities of
transmission related to the thickness and
absorption coefficient of a material? Refer to
page 21 of booklet.
7. What are A scans and B scans? How are they
different. Refer to page 22 of booklet. Also view:
[Link]
Q&index=3&list=PL197E659A5B2490CB
8. What are advantages of ultrasound imaging
techniques?
MAGNETI C RESONANCE
I MAGI NG ( MRI )
MAGNETI C RESONANCE
I MAGI NG ( MRI )
The diagram on the
left shows the MRI
image of a persons
foot.
The different colours
indicate different
materials, e.g: white =
bone, blue = soft
tissue, etc.
How is this image
produced?
Image from page 883;Chapter 27: Magnetic Fields and Magnetic Forces; Sears and Zemanskys
University Physics, Young and Freedman, 13
th
edition, Pearson Education, San Francisco,
2012.
MAGNETI C RESONANCE
I MAGI NG ( MRI )
MAGNETI C RESONANCE
I MAGI NG ( MRI )
What do you need to know What do you need to know?
1. What is magnetic spin? What causes
magnetic spin?
2. What is precession? What is meant by
the term Larmor frequency?
3. What is meant by the term relaxation
time?
4. How is an MRI image produced?
MAGNETI C RESONANCE
I MAGI NG ( MRI )
MAGNETI C RESONANCE
I MAGI NG ( MRI )
Answers to questions above can be found on page Answers to questions above can be found on page
23 of booklet. In addition view also:
I. [Link]
Y
II. [Link]
4
III. [Link]
T8
IV. [Link]
m4 from minute 8:30 onwards.
MAGNETI C RESONANCE
I MAGI NG ( MRI )
MAGNETI C RESONANCE
I MAGI NG ( MRI )
The diagram above shows how the hydrogen atoms emit radio
frequency waves that are detected in a MRI scanning process
Figure 431. page 883;Chapter 27: Magnetic Fields and Magnetic Forces; Sears and Zemanskys
University Physics, Young and Freedman, 13
th
edition, Pearson Education, San Francisco,
2012.
HOMEWORK HOMEWORK
X RAYS/CT SCANS
1. Question 11, Paper 4, Winter 2008.
2. Question 10, Paper 42, Winter 2009.
3. Question 10, Paper 41, Summer 2010.
4. Question 11, Paper 43, Winter 2010.
5. Question 11, Paper 41, Summer 2012.
6. Question 10, Paper 42, Summer 2012.
HOMEWORK HOMEWORK
X RAYS/CT SCANS (contd)
7. Question 10, Paper 41, Winter 2012.
8. Question 10, Paper 43, Winter 2012.
9. Question 10, Paper 41, Summer 2013.
10. Question 12, Paper 41, Summer 2014.
11. Question 11, Paper 42, Summer 2014.
HOMEWORK HOMEWORK
ULTRASOUND ULTRASOUND
1. Question 11, Paper 4, Summer 2009.
2. Question 11, Paper 42, Summer 2010.
3. Question 10, Paper 41, Winter 2010.
4. Question 10, Paper 41, Summer 2011.
5. Question 10, Paper 43, Winter 2011.
6. Question 10, Paper 42, Summer 2013.
7. Question 10, Paper 41, Winter 2013.
HOMEWORK HOMEWORK
MRI
1. Question 10, Paper 4, Summer 2008.
2. Question 11, Paper 41, Winter 2009.
3. Question 10, Paper 42, Summer 2011.
4. Question 10, Paper 43, Winter 2013.
