Medical, Industrial and Scientific Applications of X-rays

Applications of X-rays

X-rays have a number of applications. Some of them are listed below:

Medical applications

(i)       X-rays are being widely used for detecting fractures, tumours, the presence of foreign matter like bullet etc., in the human body.

(ii)       X-rays are also used for the diagnosis of tuberculosis, stones in kidneys, gall bladder etc.

(iii)        Many types of skin diseases, malignant sores, cancer and tumours have been cured by controlled exposure of X-rays of suitable quality.

(iv)     Hard X-rays are used to destroy tumours very deep inside the body.

Industrial applications

(i)       X-rays are used to detect the defects or flaws within a material

(ii)        X-rays can be used for testing the homogeneity of welded joints, insulating materials etc.

(iii)       X-rays are used to analyse the structure of alloys and the other composite bodies.

(iv)      X-rays are also used to study the structure of materials like rubber, cellulose, plastic fibres etc.

Scientific research

(i)    X-rays are used for studying the structure of crystalline solids and alloys.

(ii) X-rays are used for the identification of chemical elements including determination of their atomic numbers.

(iii)           X-rays can be used for analyzing the structure of complex molecules by examining their X-ray diffraction pattern.