TED-Ed: Mysteries of vernacular: X-ray - Jessica Oreck and Rachael Teel

The video explores the nature and history of X-rays, a form of electromagnetic radiation. It traces the origin of the term 'X-ray' to Rene Descartes' mathematical convention of using X, Y, and Z to represent unknowns. Wilhelm Rontgen discovered X-rays in the 19th century, naming them X-strahlen, with 'X' denoting their unknown nature. The English term 'ray' connects to mathematics, where a ray is a line extending infinitely from a point. Today, X-rays are well understood and also known as Rontgen Radiation, reflecting their discoverer's name.

What is the primary characteristic of X-rays that allows them to be used in medical imaging?

• They are visible to the human eye.

• They can penetrate solids.

• They are a form of sound waves.

• They are absorbed by metals.

Which philosopher's convention of using letters to represent unknowns influenced the naming of X-rays?

• Albert Einstein

• Isaac Newton

• Galileo Galilei

• Rene Descartes

What does the 'X' in X-strahlen represent according to Wilhelm Rontgen?

• The speed of the radiation

• The color of the radiation

• The unknown nature of the radiation

• The brightness of the radiation

What is the English translation of the German word 'strahlen'?

• Beam

• Ray

• Particle

• Wave

What alternative name is sometimes used for X-radiation, acknowledging its discoverer?

• Rontgen Radiation

• Einstein Radiation

• Newton Radiation

• Curie Radiation