Wilhelm Roentgen/X-Rays Essay

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Wilhelm Roentgen & His X-Rays Wilhelm Roentgen, a German physicist, was the first accredited with the discovery of X-rays. Although he was not the first to bear witness to their effects, he was the first to intentionally and systematically study them. Ivan Pulyui, William Crookes, Johann Wilhelm Hittorf, and Eugen Goldstein were some of the first few to begin research on X-rays along with Roentgen. He wrote an initial report "On a new kind of ray: A Preliminary Communication" and on December 28, 1895 submitted it to the Wurzburg’s Physical-Medical Society journal. This was the first written report of any kind on X-rays. On November the 8th, 1895 Roentgen discovered an image cast from his cathode ray generator that was projected much further than the range limitations of the electron beams. Further investigation showed that the rays were generated at the point of contact of the electron beam on the interior of the vacuum tube, that they were not deflected by magnetic fields, and they penetrated many kinds of matter. The voltage caused by the Crookes Tubes used in the cathode ray generator accelerated the electrons coming from the cathode to such a great velocity that when they struck the glass wall of the tube or the anode X-rays were created. Many Crookes Tubes radiated X-rays without a doubt because earlier on researchers made note of the effects that correspond with X-rays. Roentgen discovered its potential for medical use when he used the X-rays to take a photograph of his wife’s left hand, which clearly showed not only her wedding ring but also her bones. This particular photograph is the first ever picture of a human body part using X-rays. He initially called this X-Radiation, the “X” standing for “unknown”, due to the little knowledge that he had had on the subject. Some people find conflicting evidence in whether or not he was the true discoverer
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