Give the properties and use of X-rays.
Properties of X-rays:
(i) X-rays travel in straight lines with speed of light.
(ii) X-rays are not deflected by electrical and magnetic fields.
(iii) They are more penetrating than cathode rays.
(iv) They can pass through opaque materials such as black paper and affect a photographic plate wrapped in it.
(v) They cause fluorescence in several materials. A plate coated with barium platinocyanide, zinc sulphide etc. becomes luminous when exposed to X-rays.
Uses of X-rays :
(i) They are useful to locate the broken parts of the body such as bones because solid bone stops X-rays from passing through it and are seen as an opaque image in the X-rays film.
(ii) They are used by detective departments to examine the contents of a parcel without opening it and to detect diamonds/gems concealed by smugglers within their body.
(iii) They are used in the treatment of tumours and cancer in the animals and the human beings.
(iv) They are quite helpful in the study of the nature and structure of the materials.
