How do X-rays work?X-rays are electromagnetic waves that resemble light. They can penetrate materials with masses at different levels. When the X-rays hit the film, they create an image that shows it like a light would. Since bones, fat, muscles, tumors, and other structures all absorb X-rays at different levels, the image on the film allows you to see different distinct structures inside the body. This is due to the different exposure levels of the film. What is radioactivity? What is radiation? Unstable atomic nuclei will suddenly begin to break down to form nuclei with greater stability. This decomposition process is called radioactivity. The energy and particles released during the decomposition process are called radiation. When an unstable nucleus decays in nature, this process is called natural radioactivity. When an unstable core is prepared in the laboratory, the decay is called induced radioactivity. How does the film capture the image? The x-ray machine has 3 main components. The components are a vacuum tube which has a cathode and an anode which are most often made of a tungsten element. The cathode is a heated filament. When electric current passes through the filament, the temperature increases significantly. When it reaches a very high temperature, the filament begins to release negatively charged electrons from the surface. Then, the positively charged tungsten anode component of the X-ray attracts these electrons with significant force, pulling them through the vacuum tube at high speed. When an electron collides with a tungsten atom, an electron in one of the atom's lower orbitals is knocked out. Then, after an electron from a higher orbital takes the place of the removed chosen one...... middle of paper ... the contaminants remain on the skin for a long time, this can cause skin damage . The third type of radiation is gamma radiation. Gamma radiation and X-rays are part of electromagnetic radiation like visible light, radio waves and ultraviolet light. These electromagnetic radiations differ in the amount of energy they have. Gamma radiation can penetrate through most materials, including skin, but it can also travel very deep into human tissue. Gamma radiation has absolutely no mass and is capable of traveling at the speed of light. It's very fast and very strong. When radioactive materials release gamma radiation, it can pose both external and internal dangers to humans. This is why many pregnant women don't take many x-rays. This can be harmful to the fetus inside. The radiation emitted by these rays can cause abnormalities and other defects later in life..