Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen, The Inventor of X-Ray

Can the reader imagine if the world had no means of X-rays? Almost impossible! Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen X-ray of the inventor was born in 1845 in the town of Lennep, Germany. He obtained his doctorate in 1869 from the University of Zurich. For nineteen years after that, X-ray work at various universities, and gradually acquired the reputation of a scientist who thumb. In 1888 he was appointed a professor of physics and Director of the Institute of Physics University Wurburg. That's where, in 1895, Rontgen made the discovery that made him famous.

On 8 November 1895 X-ray again to make the experiment with the "cathode rays." Cathode rays consist of electron flow. Diprodusir flow by using a high voltage between the electrodes are placed at each end of the glass tube where the air is almost completely emptied. Cathode rays themselves are not filtered and has a special distop by several centimeters of air. In this event X was completely closed he had a cathode ray tube with thick black paper, so that even if the electric light lit, no light can be seen from the tube. However, when X-ray light electric current in the cathode ray tube, he was startled to see that the light began to incandesce on the screen located near the bench as stimulated by light. He put out the tube and screen (which was wrapped by a barium platino cyanide) incandesce stop light. Because the cathode ray tube completely closed, X-ray soon realized that something of an invisible radiation must come from the tube when the electric light turned on. Because this is a mysterious thing, he calls the radiation that appeared was "X-rays" The "X" is a common mathematical symbol for something unknown.

Tempted by the chance discovery that, X-ray investigations exclude others and concentrate on the study of things contained in the "X-rays" After several weeks of hard work, he found other evidence like this: (1) X-ray beam can raise a variety of other chemical objects "platinocyanide barium." (2) X-rays can be filtered through the various objects that do not pass by ordinary light. Special X-rays found that X-rays can penetrate flesh but stopped immediately on the bone. By the way put his hand between the cathode ray tube and the screen is bright, X-rays can see the screen image of hand bones. (3) X-rays to walk in a straight line; not as electrically charged particles, X-ray not terbelokkan by magnetic fields.

X-rays give a big contribution and advancement of dental medicine

Month of December 1895 X-ray write his first paper on X-rays Report in a short time arouse the attention and stir. Within a few months, hundreds of scientists to investigate X-rays, and within a year about 1000 papers published on the subject! One of the scientists who direct the investigation against the results of X-ray findings is Antoine Henri Becquerel. These people, although its main purpose to investigate X-rays, it is important to find the phenomenon of radioactivity.

In general, X-ray work when high energy electrons hit the target. X-rays themselves do not contain electrons, but electron magnetic waves. Therefore, he is basically similar to the radiation that can be seen eye (ie light waves), except for X-ray wavelengths much shorter.

The use of X-rays are best known - of course - in the field of medical and dental diagnosis. Other uses are in the field of radiotherapy, in which X-rays used to destroy malignant tumors or prevent their growth.

X-rays are also widely used in various industrial purposes. For example, can be used for measuring heavy an object or find hidden damage. X-rays are also useful in many areas of scientific investigation, ranging from biology to astronomy. In particular, X-ray scientists deliver large amounts of information relating to the atomic and molecular structure.

However, people should not over-rate the importance of X-ray. It is true, the use of X-rays brought many benefits, but one can not say he has revolutionized the whole of our technology, such as Faraday's discovery of electro-magnetic evidence. Similarly, people can not say the discovery of X-ray is really the fundamental importance in the theory of knowledge. Ultraviolet light (which is shorter wavelength than visible light by the eye) has been known for almost a century earlier. The existence of X-rays - which have in common with ultraviolet waves, except for wavelengths shorter still - still within the framework of classical physics. On top of everything, I thought proper to place importance on the X-ray findings Becquerel who have more fundamental significance.

X-rays did not have children, so he and his wife raised the child a girl. In 1901 Rontgen received the Nobel Prize for physics, which for the first time given to the field. He died in Munich, Germany in 1923. Michael H. Hart,One hundred most influential figures in the history.