11.07.2015 Views

Radiography in Modern Industry - Kodak

Radiography in Modern Industry - Kodak

Radiography in Modern Industry - Kodak

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.

Chapter 7: Arithmetic of ExposureRelations Of Milliamperage (Source Strength), Distance, And TimeWith a given kilovoltage of x-radiation or with the gamma radiation from a particular isotope, thethree factors govern<strong>in</strong>g the exposure are the milliamperage (for x-rays) or source strength (forgamma rays), time, and source-film distance. The numerical relations among these threequantities are demonstrated below, us<strong>in</strong>g x-rays as an example. The same relations apply forgamma rays, provided the number of curies <strong>in</strong> the source is substituted wherever milliamperageappears <strong>in</strong> an equation.The necessary calculations for any changes <strong>in</strong> focus-film distance (D), milliamperage (M), or time(T) are matters of simple arithmetic and are illustrated <strong>in</strong> the follow<strong>in</strong>g example. As noted earlier,kilovoltage changes cannot be calculated directly but must be obta<strong>in</strong>ed from the exposure chartof the equipment or the operator's logbook.All of the equations shown on these pages can be solved easily for any of the variables (mA, T,D), us<strong>in</strong>g one basic rule of mathematics: If one factor is moved across the equals sign (=), itmoves from the numerator to the denom<strong>in</strong>ator or vice versa.We can now solve for any unknown by:1. Elim<strong>in</strong>at<strong>in</strong>g any factor that rema<strong>in</strong>s constant (has the same value and is <strong>in</strong> the samelocation on both sides of the equation).2. Simplify<strong>in</strong>g the equation by mov<strong>in</strong>g the unknown value so that it is alone on one side ofthe equation <strong>in</strong> the numerator.3. Substitut<strong>in</strong>g the known values and solv<strong>in</strong>g the equation.Milliamperage-Distance RelationThe milliamperage employed <strong>in</strong> any exposure technique should be <strong>in</strong> conformity with themanufacturer's rat<strong>in</strong>g of the x-ray tube. In most laboratories, however, a constant value ofmilliamperage is usually adopted for convenience.Rule: The milliamperage (M) required for a given exposure is directly proportional to the squareof the focus-film distance (D). The equation is expressed as follows:

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!