Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology

Multiple Choice
1. Which electrons have the greatest binding energy?
a. N-shell
b. M-shell
c. L-shell
d. K-shell

2. What type of electrical charge does the electron carry?

a. positive
b. negative
c. no charge
d. positive or negate

3. Which term describes two or more atoms that are joined by chemical bonds?
a. ion
b. ion pair
c. molecule
d. proton

4. Which statement describes ionization?

a. atom without a nucleus
b. atom that loses an electron
c. atom with equal numbers of protons and electrons
d. none of the above
 5. Which term describes the process by which unstable atoms undergo
spontaneous disintegration in an effort to attain a more balanced nuclear state?
a. radiation
b. radioactivity
c. ionization
d. ionizing radiation

6. Which is not a type of particulate radiation?

a. alpha particles
b. beta particles
c. protons
d. nucleons

7. Which is not a type of electromagnetic radiation?

a. electrons
b. radar waves
c. microwaves
d. x-rays
8. Which statement is incorrect?
a. Velocity is the speed of a wave.
b. Wavelength is the distance between waves.
c. Frequency is the number of wavelengths that pass a given point in a
certain amount of time.
d. Frequency and wavelength are inversely related.
9. Which statement is incorrect?
a. X-rays travel at the speed of sound.
b. X-rays have no charge.
c. X-rays cannot be focused to a point.
d. X-rays cause ionization.
10. Which statement is correct?
a. X-rays are a form of electromagnetic radiation; visible light is not.
b. X-rays have more energy than does visible light.
c. X-rays have a longer wavelength than does visible light.
d. X-rays travel more slowly than does visible light.

11. Which regulates the flow of electrical current to the lament of the x-ray tube?
a. high-voltage circuit
b. low-voltage circuit
c. high-voltage transformer
d. low-voltage transformer
12. Which is used to increase the voltage in the highvoltage circuit?
a. step-up transformer
b. step-down transformer
c. autotransformer
d. step-up circuit
13. Which does not occur when the high-voltage circuit is activated?
a. The unit produces an audible and visible signal.
b. Electrons produced at the cathode are accelerated across the tube to the
anode.
c. X-rays travel from the lament to the target.
d. Heat is produced.

14. Which is the location where x-rays are produced?

a. positive cathode
b. positive anode
c. negative cathode
d. negative anode

15. Which is the location where thermionic emission occurs?

a. positive cathode
b. positive anode
c. negative cathode
d. negative anode
16. Which accounts for 70% of all the x-ray energy produced at the anode?
a. general radiation
b. characteristic radiation
c. Compton scatter
d. coherent scatter

17. Which occurs only at 70 kV or higher and accounts for a very small part of the
x-rays produced in the dental x-ray machine?
a. general radiation
b. characteristic radiation
c. Compton scatter
d. coherent scatter
18. Which describes primary radiation?
a. radiation that exits the tubehead
b. radiation that is created when x-rays come in contact with matter
c. radiation that has been de ected from its path by the interaction with
matter
d. none of the above

19. Which describes scatter radiation?

a. radiation that exits the tubehead
b. radiation that is more penetrating than primary radiation
c. radiation that has been de ected from its path by interaction with matter
d. none of the above
____
20. Which type of scatter occurs most often with dental x-rays?
a. Compton
b. coherent
c. photoelectric
d. none of the above

21. In dental imaging, the quality of the x-ray beam is controlled by:
a. kilovoltage
b. milliamperage
c. exposure time
d. source-to-receptor distance

22. Identify the kilovoltage range for current dental x-ray machines:
a. 50 to 60 kV
b. 60 to 70 kV
c. 70 to 100 kV
d. greater than 100 kV
23. A higher kilovoltage produces x-rays with:
a. greater energy levels
b. shorter wavelengths
c. more penetrating ability
d. all of the above
24. Identify the unit of measurement used to describe the amount of electric current
owing through the x-ray tube:
a. volt
b. ampere
c. kilovoltage
d. force
25. Radiation produced with high kilovoltage results in:
a. short wavelengths
b. long wavelengths
c. less penetrating radiation
d. lower energy levels
26. In dental imaging, the quantity of radiation produced is controlled by:
a. kilovoltage
b. milliamperage
c. exposure time
d. both b and c
27. Increasing milliamperage results in an increase in:
a. temperature of the lament
b. mean energy of the beam
c. number of x-rays produced
d. both a and c
28. Identify the milliamperage range used for current dental x-ray machines:
a. 1 to 5 mA
b. 6 to 8 mA
c. 9 to 15 mA
d. greater than 15 mA
29. The overall blackness or darkness of an image is termed:
a. contrast
b. density
c. overexposure
d. polychromatic
30. If kilovoltage is decreased with no other variations in exposure factors, the
resultant image will:
a. appear lighter
b. appear darker
c. remain the same
d. either a or b

31. Identify the term that describes how dark and light areas are differentiated on
an image:
a. contrast
b. density
c. intensity
d. polychromatic
32. An image that has many light and dark areas with few shades of gray is said to
have:
a. high density
b. low density
c. high contrast
d. low contrast

33. The image described in question 12 was produced with:

a. low kilovoltage
b. high kilovoltage
c. low milliamperage
d. high milliamperage

34. Increasing milliamperage alone results in an image with:

a. high contrast
b. low contrast
c. increased density
d. decreased density
35. The total energy contained in the x-ray beam in a specific area at a given time
is termed:
a. kilovoltage
b. beam quality
c. intensity
d. milliampere-second
36. Increasing which of these four exposure controls will increase the intensity of
the x-ray beam: (1) kilovoltage, (2) milliamperage, (3) exposure time, (4) sourceto-
receptor distance?
a. 1 and 2
b. 2 and 3
c. 1, 2, and 3
d. 1, 2, 3, and 4
37. If the target-receptor distance is doubled, the resultant beam will be:
a. four times as intense
b. twice as intense
c. half as intense
d. one fourth as intense
38. If the target-receptor distance is tripled, the resultant beam will be:
a. one half as intense
b. one fourth as intense
c. one ninth as intense
d. one sixteenth as intense

39. The half-value layer is the amount of:

a. lead that restricts the diameter of the beam by half
b. copper needed to cool the anode
c. aluminum needed to reduce scatter radiation by half
d. aluminum needed to reduce x-ray beam intensity by half
40. If the half-value layer is 3 mm, what thickness of aluminum is necessary to
decrease the intensity by half?
a. 1.5 mm
b. 3 mm
c. 6 mm
d. 9 mm

INTERACTIONS OF X-RADIATION
(1) no interaction,
(2) absorption or photoelectric effect,
(3) Compton scatter, and
(4) coherent scatter.

Properties of X-Rays
Appearance : X-rays are invisible .
• Mass : X-rays have no mas s or weight.
• Charge : X-rays have no charge .
• Speed: X-rays travel at the speed of light.
• Wavelength: X-rays travel in waves and have short wavelengths with a high
frequency.
• Path of travel: X-rays travel in straight line s and can be deflected, or scattered.
• Focusing capability: X-rays cannot be focused to a point and always diverge from
a point.
• Penetrating power: X-rays can penetrate liquids , solids , and gas e s .
The compos ition of the subs tance dete rmines whe ther x-rays penetrate
or pass through, or are absorbed.
• Absorption: X-rays are absorbed by matter; the absorption depends
on the atomic s tructure of matte r and the wavelength of the x-ray.
• Ionization capability: X-rays interact with materials the y penetrate and
cause ionization.
• Fluorescence capability: X-rays can cause certain subs tance s to uore
sce or emit radiation in longe r wavelengths (e .g., vis ible light and
ultraviole t light).
• Effect on re ceptor: X-rays can produce an image on a re ceptor.
• Effect on living tis sues : X-rays cause biologic changes in living cells .