Actual Focal Spot Size: The size of the area on the target, that is exposed to an amount of electrons.
Anode: The positively charged electrode of the x-ray tube.
Artifact: Any unwanted image on a radiograph.
Attenuation: The reducing of energy of the primary beam as it passes through the atomic part.
Automatic Exposure Control (AEC): A device that is used to control radiographic density by terminating the exposure due to the amount of radiation reaching the image receptor.
BackUp Time: The maximum amount of time set that will terminate the exposure when using an AEC.
Base Plus Fog (B+F): The minimum amount of optical density on a film.
Body Habitus: The general size of one’s body size and shape.
kVp: (kilovoltage peak): kvp is the quality of photons in the x-ray beam. This is the controlling factor for contrast, but kVp also has an effect on the density of the image.
Cathode: The negatively charged electrode of the x-ray tube.
Coherent Scattering: Interactions with low energy x-rays that are below the diagnostic range.
Collimator: Limits the x-ray beam to a specific size.
Compensating Filter: A compensating filter can be added to the primary beam to compensate the intensity of the x-ray beam.
Contrast: The different in two adjacent densities.
Crossover: Light that is produced by an intensifying screen that exposes one emulsion and then crosses over to the other emulsion.
Deadman Switch: A switch that is used to make the x-ray exposure, but when let off of the exposure is immediately terminated.
Density: The overall blackness of an image.
Densitometer: A device that is used to measure optical densities.
Direct Exposure film: A single emulsion film in which is a nonscreen film, this film also produces a better detailed film.
Distortion: A misrepresentation of either size or shape of the object.
Dual-Focus: Meaning having two filaments.
Dynamic Range: The accurate range of exposure intensities that an image receptor can detect.
Effective Focal Spot Size: The size of the focal spot under the x-ray tube.
mAs (milliamperage per second): The quantity of electrons produced by the x-ray tube in a given amount of time. This is the main controling factor for density.
Focusing Cup: Is a negatively charged cup, that is used to focus the electron stream.
Leakage radiation: Any radiation that is leaked through the x-ray tube other than the primary beam.
Thermionic Emission: The boiling off of electrons at the filament.
Tube Current: The electron flow from cathode to anode.
Target: The part of the Anode that is actually struck by the electron beam.
SID (source to image receptor distance): The distance between the source of radiation and the image receptor.
OID (object to image receptor distance): The distance between the objected being imaged and the image receptor.
