Question

X-rays are used in medical applications to produce images of bones, tissues, and organs. X-rays are capable of penetrating tissues such as skin, but are less capable of penetrating bone. This property of X-rays derives from which characteristic of the rays?

A.
their large amplitudes

B.
their long wavelengths

C.
their small amplitudes

D.
their short wavelengths

Answer 1

D. their short wavelengths

Explanation: X-ray photons have very short wavelengths (and therefore high frequencies and high photon energies, E = hc/λ). Higher photon energy lets X-rays penetrate soft tissues; bones (higher density/atomic number) absorb more, producing the image. Amplitude affects intensity, not the photon energy needed for penetration.