Wilhelm Conrad Rontgen

Wilhelm Conrad Rontgen X-ray 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 professor of physics and director of the Institute of Physics University of Wurburg. That's where, in 1895, Rontgen made a discovery that made his name famous.

November 8, 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 a glass tube where the air is almost entirely emptied. Cathode rays themselves do not specifically have stopped the leak and the air a few centimeters. In this incident X-rays have been completely shut down his cathode ray tube with a thick black paper, so that even an electric light is turned on, no light can be seen from the tube. However, when the X-ray light electric current in the cathode ray tube, he was startled to see that the light began to anneal on the screen which is located near the bench as stimulated by light. He put out the tube and the screen (which is encased by a barium Platino cyanide) stop light anneal.


Because the cathode ray tube is fully closed, Rontgen soon realized that something invisible form of radiation that must come from the tube when the electric light turned on. Because this is a mysterious thing, he calls radiation appears that "X-rays" The "X" is an ordinary mathematical symbol for something unknown.

Tempted by the chance discovery, the X-ray investigations else aside and concentrate on a review of the particulars contained in the "X-rays" After several weeks of hard work, he found other evidence such as this: (1) X-ray beam can make the various chemical bodies other than the "barium platinocyanide." (2) X-rays can break through the various objects are impenetrable by ordinary light. Special Rontgen discovered X-rays that can penetrate the meat directly but stops on his bones. By putting his hand between the cathode ray tube and the screen is bright, X-rays can be seen on the screen the shadow of his bones. (3) X-ray runs in a straight line; not as electrically charged particles, X rays are not unbending by magnetic fields.


X-rays and contributed greatly to advances in medicine

Month of December 1895 Rontgen wrote his first paper on X-ray Report within a short time arouse the attention and excitement. Within a few months, hundreds of scientists to investigate X-rays, and within a year around 1000 working paper published on the subject! One of the scientists who rely directly investigation of X-ray findings were Antoine Henri Becquerel. These people, although the main purpose of investigating the X-ray, it finds an important phenomenon of radioactivity.

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

The use of X-ray of the best known - of course - in the field of dental treatment and diagnosis. Another use is in the field of radiotherapy, in which X-rays used to destroy or prevent the growth of malignant tumors.

X-rays are also widely used in various industrial purposes. For example, can be used for measuring thickness or find one thing that is hidden damage. X-rays are also useful in many fields of scientific inquiry, from biology to astronomy. In particular, X-ray scientists presenting large amounts of information related to the atomic and molecular structure.

Nevertheless, one should not exaggerate the importance of assessing the X-ray. It is true, the use of X-ray brings many benefits, but one can not say he has recast the whole of our technology, as well as Faraday's discovery of the electro magnetic evidence. Similarly, one can not say the discovery of X-ray is really fundamental importance in the theory of science. Ultraviolet light (a wavelength shorter than visible light by the eye) has been known nearly a century earlier. The existence of X-rays - which has similarities with ultraviolet waves, but still much shorter wavelength - still within the framework of classical physics. Above all, I think it is worth putting down the significance of Becquerel rays in the invention further has a fundamental significance.

X-rays do not have children, so he and his wife raised a girl child. Rontgen in 1901 received the Nobel Prize for physics, which for the first time given to the field. He died in Munich, Germany in 1923.