Ages 14-18: Educational Resources

X-rays and CT scanners

X-rays and Computed Tomography (CT) scanners are not considered nuclear technologies. However, these imaging techniques do use radiation technology.

The process of taking an X-ray involves the movement of electrons and protons through several filters until only X-ray beams remain. Those beams pass through the patient and onto a film plate, giving doctors a 2-dimensional view of what’s happening inside the body.

Image of a hand taken with an X-ray
Image: Image of a hand taken with an X-ray

CT scanners are advanced machines that take images of the body. Patients are moved through the scanner as it rotates around their body. Instead of taking a picture on film, the X-ray beams are detected by delicate sensors, processed by a computer and displayed on a video screen, showing a 3-dimensional image of the body.

Series of images of a human brain obtained with a CT scanner
Image: Series of images of a human brain obtained with a CT scanner

While X-ray machines are commonly used to see bones and joints, CT scanners provide an image of soft tissue and blood vessels.

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