CHAPTER 2

FUNDAMENTALS OF RADIOLOGIC SCIENCE

STANDARD UNITS OF MEASUREMENT  Recent Definition: measured by an atomic

clock
Physics
 The study of interactions of matter & energy Measurement
 It has a magnitude & a unit
Three Base Quantities
 Mass, Length & Time Four Systems of Units
 MKS
Secondary/Derived Quantities  CGS
 The combination of one or more base  British
quantities  SI

Special Quantities SPECIAL QUANTITIES OF RADIOLOGIC

 Exposure, Dose, Equivalent Dose & SCIENCE & THEIR UNITS
Radioactivity Radiographic
Special Units SI
Quantities
IBWM Exposure C/kg Air kerma (Gya)
 International Bureau of Weights & Dose J/kg Gray (Gyt)
Measures Equivalent
J/kg Sievert (Sv)
Dose
Length Radioactivity s-1 Becquerel (Bq)
 It is based on speed of light
 SI Unit: meter (m) The same system of units must always be used
 Platinum-Iridium Bar: represents the when one is working on problem or reporting
standard unit of length answers!
 Redefinition: wavelength of orange light
emitted from an isotope of krypton-86 MECHANICS
 One Meter: distance traveled by light in
1/299,792,468 Mechanics
 The segment of physics that deals with
Mass motion at rest (statics) & objects in motion
 One Kilogram: mass of 1000 cm3 of water at (dynamics)
4o C
 SI Unit: kilogram (kg) Velocity (V)
 Platinum-Iridium Cylinder: represents the  It is sometimes called speed
standard unit of mass  The rate of change of its position with time
 Units of Weight: Newton (N) & pounds (lb)  Formula: V = d/t
o d = distance
Time o t = time
 It is based on the vibration of atoms of  SI Unit: m/s
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cesium  British Unit: ft/s

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 Original Definition: based on rotation of

Earth on its axis (mean solar day) Velocity of Light
 Redefinition: a certain fraction of the  Symbol: c
tropical year 1900  c = 3x108 m/s or 1.86x105 mi/s

STEWART C. BUSHONG SUMMARIZED BY: MEYNARD Y. CASTRO

 CHAPTER 2
FUNDAMENTALS OF RADIOLOGIC SCIENCE

Average Velocity Newton’s Third Law: Action/Reaction

 Symbol: ῡ  For every action, there’s an equal &
 Formula: ῡ = (Vf + Vo)/2 opposite reaction
o Vf = final velocity
o Vo = initial velocity Weight
 SI Unit: m/s  A force on a body caused by the pull of
 British Unit: ft/s gravity on it
 Symbol: Wt
Acceleration  Formula: Wt = mg
 The rate of change of velocity with time o m = mass
 Symbol: a o g = acceleration due to gravity
 Formula: a = (Vf – Vo)/t  SI Units: N or lb
o Vf = final velocity
o Vo = initial velocity Acceleration Due to Gravity
o t = time  Symbol: g
 SI Unit: m/s2  Constant in SI Unit: 9.8 m/s2
 British Unit: ft/s2  Constant in British Unit: 32 ft/s2
 Constant Velocity: zero acceleration
Weight is the product of mass & the
Isaac Newton (1686) acceleration of gravity on earth: 1 lb = 4.5 N!
 He presented the fundamental laws of
motion Momentum
 The product of mass of an object & its
Newton’s First Law: Inertia velocity
 A body will remain at rest or will continue  Symbol: p
to move with constant velocity in a straight  Formula: p = mv
line unless acted on by an external force o m = mass
o V = velocity
Inertia  SI Unit: kg-m/s
 The property of matter that acts to resist a  British Unit: lb-ft/s
change in its state of motion  Total p before interaction = Total p after
interaction
Newton’s Second Law: Force
 The force (F) that acts on an object is equal Work
to the mass (m) of the object multiplied by  The force applied times the distance
the acceleration (a) produced  Symbol: W
 Formula: W = Fd
Force o F = force
 A push or pull on an object o d = distance
 Symbol: F
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 SI Unit: J
 Formula: F = ma
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 British Unit: ft/lb

o m = mass
o a = acceleration Power
 SI Unit: newton (N)  The rate of doing work
 British Unit: pounds (lb)  The quotient of work over time
 Symbol: P
STEWART C. BUSHONG SUMMARIZED BY: MEYNARD Y. CASTRO
 CHAPTER 2
FUNDAMENTALS OF RADIOLOGIC SCIENCE

 Formula: P = Work/t = Fd/t Calorie

o F = force  The heat necessary to raise the temperature
o d = distance of 1 g of water through 1o C
o t = time
 SI Units: J/s or W Three Ways of Heat Transfer
 British Unit: hp  Conduction, Convection & Radiation
 One hp: 746 W
Conduction
Energy  The transfer of heat through a material by
 The ability to do work touching

Law of Conservation of Energy Convection

 States that energy may be transformed from  The mechanical transfer of “hot” molecules
one form to another but it cannot be created in a gas or liquid from one place to another
or destroyed
Thermal Radiation
Two Forms of Mechanical Energy  The transfer of heat by the emission of
 Kinetic & Potential Energy infrared radiation
 An x-ray tube cools primarily by radiation
Kinetic Energy
 The energy associated with the motion of an Temperature
object  It is measured with a thermometer
 Symbol: KE  3 Scales: Celsius, Kelvin & Fahrenheit
 Formula: KE = ½mv2
o m = mass Converting Fahrenheit (F) to Celsius (C)
o v2 = velocity squared  Formula: Tc = 5/9(Tf - 32)
 SI Unit: J o Tc = temperature in celsius
 British Unit: ft-lb o Tf = temperature in fahrenheit

Potential Energy Converting Celsius to Fahrenheit

 The stored energy of position or  Formula: Tf = 9/5(Tc) + 32
configuration
 Symbol: PE Converting Celsius to Kelvin (K)
 Formula: PE = mgh  Formula: K = Tc + 273
o m = mass o K = temperature in Kelvin
o g = acceleration due to gravity
o h = height Approximate Temperature Conversion
 SI Unit: J  From oF to oC: subtract 30 & divide by 2
 British Unit: ft-lb  From oC to oF: Double, then add 30
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Cryogens
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Heat
 The KE of the random motion of molecules  The cooling agents used in MRI
 Unit: calorie  Liquid Nitrogen: boils at 77 K
 Liquid Helium: boils at 4 K

STEWART C. BUSHONG SUMMARIZED BY: MEYNARD Y. CASTRO

 CHAPTER 2
FUNDAMENTALS OF RADIOLOGIC SCIENCE

MATHEMATICS FOR RADIOLOGIC Step 3: x = c/a

SCIENCE  Second Rule: when numbers are added to an
unknown x, subtract that number from both
Fractions sides of the equation
 The quotient of two numbers Step 1: x + a = b
 x/y: numerator/denominator Step 2: x + a – a = b – a
Step 3: x = b – a
Proper Fraction  Third Rule: when an equation is presented in
 The quotient is less than one the form of a proportion, cross-multiply &
then solve for the unknown x
Improper Fraction Step 1: x/a = b/c (cross-multiplication)
 The quotient is greater than one Step 2: cx = ab
Step 3: x = ab/c
Adding/Subtracting Fractions
 Find a common denominator then add or Proportion
subtract  It expresses the equality of two ratios
 x/y + a/b = xb/yb + ay/yb = (xb + ay)/yb
Decimal System
Multiplying Fractions  System of numbers that is based on
 Simply multiply numerator & denominator multiples of 10
 (x/y) x (a/b) = xa/yb
Decimal to Exponential Form
Dividing Fractions  If there are digits to the left of the decimal
 Invert the second fraction & multiply point, the exponent will be positive
 x/y ÷ a/b = (x/y) x (b/a) = xb/ya  If there are no nonzero digits to the left of
the decimal point, the exponent will be
Ratio negative
 It expresses the mathematical relationship
between two similar quantities Planck’s Constant
 Symbol: h
 Constant:
In addition & subtraction, round to the same o 4.15 x 10-15 Ev-s
number of decimal places as the entry with the o 6.63 x 10-34 Js
least number of digits to the right of the
decimal point! Rules of Exponents
 Multiplication: 10x x 10y = 10(x+y)
 Division: 10x ÷ 10y = 10(x-y)
In multiplication & division, round to the
 Raising to a Power: (10x)y = 10xy
same number of digits as the entry with the
least number of significant digits!  Inverse: 10-x = 1/10x
 Unity: 100 = 1
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Three Principal Rules of Algebra

Graphing
 First Rule: when an unknown x is multiplied
 It is based on two axes: x-axis & y-axis
by a number, divide both sides of the
equation by that number
Origin
Step 1: ax = c
Step 2: ax/a = c/a  The point where the two axes meet

STEWART C. BUSHONG SUMMARIZED BY: MEYNARD Y. CASTRO

 CHAPTER 2
FUNDAMENTALS OF RADIOLOGIC SCIENCE

Ordered Pairs  1 Ci: 3.7 x 1010 nuclei disintegration per

 (x-axis, y-axis) second (Bq)

Radiologic Units TERMINOLOGY FOR RADIOLOGIC

 Roentgen, Rad, Rem, & Curie SCIENCE

Roentgen/Exposure STANDARD SCIENTIFIC & ENGINEERING

 The unit of radiation exposure or intensity PREFIXES
 It is defined as a unit of radiation quantity Multiple Prefix Symbol
(1928) 1018 exa E
 Applies only to x-rays & gamma rays & 1015 peta P
12
their interaction with air 10 tera T
 Symbol: R 109 giga G
 SI Unit: air kerma (Gya) 106 mega M
o Adoption of Wagner/Archer Method 103 kilo k
2
 1 R: 2.08 x 108 ip/cm3 of air 10 hecto h
 1 R: 2.58 x 10-4 C/kg (official) 101 deka da
10-1 deci d
Rad/Dose 10-2 centi c
-3
 The unit of radiation absorbed dose 10 milli m
10-6 micro µ
 The quantity of radiation received by the
10-9 nano n
patient
10-12 pico p
 It is used for any type of ionizing radiation
10-15 femto f
& exposed matter, not just air -18
10 atto a
 Symbol: rad
 SI Unit: gray (Gyt)
 Special Unit: J/kg Diagnostic radiology is concerned primarily
 1 Rad: 100 erg/g or 10-2 Gyt with x-rays. We may consider:
 Erg (J): a unit of energy 1 R = 1 rad = 1 rem or 1 mGya = 1 mGyt = 1
mSv)!
Rem/Equivalent Dose
 The unit of occupational radiation exposure
 It is used to expressed the quantity of
radiation received by radiation workers &
populations
 Symbol: rem
 SI Unit: Sievert (Sv)
 Special Unit: J/kg
 Application: occupational radiation monitors
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Curie (Ci/Bq)
 A unit of radioactivity
 The unit of quantity of radioactive material
 Symbol: Ci
 SI Unit: Becquerel (Bq)
 Special Unit: s-1
STEWART C. BUSHONG SUMMARIZED BY: MEYNARD Y. CASTRO