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Bucks County Community College
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Academics

RADI115 Radiation Physics

Department of Health Sciences: Radiography

I. Course Number and Title
RADI115 Radiation Physics
II. Number of Credits
3 credits
III. Number of Instructional Minutes
2250
IV. Prerequisites
Admission to the radiography program
Corequisites
RADI100, RADI105, RADI110, and RADI120
V. Other Pertinent Information
None
VI. Catalog Course Description
This course provides basic knowledge of atomic structure and terminology. The concepts of electricity, magnetism, electromagnetic radiation, electric motors, rectification, and the x-ray tube are presented. The nature and characteristics of radiation, x-ray production, and photon interactions with matter are discussed.
VII. Required Course Content and Direction
  1. Course Learning Goals

    Students will:

    1. describe the electromagnetic spectrum and the x-ray emission spectra;
    2. differentiate between ionizing and nonionizing radiation;
    3. explain the relationship of energy, wavelength and frequency;
    4. identify the properties of x-rays and principles of x-ray production;
    5. discuss various photon interactions with matter in terms of description of the interaction, relation to atomic number, photon energy and part density, and their applications in diagnostic radiology;
    6. compare and contrast generators in terms of radiation production and efficiency; and
    7. discuss the proper test equipment/procedures for evaluating the operation of an x-ray generator.
  2. Planned Sequence of Topics and/or Learning Activities

    1. Structure of the atom
      1. Bohr's theory
        1. Nucleus
          1. Components
            1. Proton
            2. Neutron
        2. Structure
          1. Size
          2. Proton and electron balance
          3. Binding energy
        3. Electron shells
          1. Components
          2. Arrangements
            1. Binding energy
            2. Valence shell
            3. Ionization
            4. Excitation
      2. Nomenclature
        1. Atomic number
        2. Mass number
    2. Nature of Radiation
      1. Radiation
        1. Electromagnetic
          1. Spectrum
          2. Wave-particle duality
            1. Wave theory
            2. Particle theory
          3. Properties
          4. Ionization and excitation
        2. Particulate
          1. Types
          2. Characteristics
        3. Non-ionizing vs. ionizing
          1. Atomic number
          2. Energy
          3. Probability
      2. Radioactivity
        1. Radioactive decay
          1. Alpha emission
          2. Beta emission
          3. Gamma emission
        2. Half life
    3. X-ray production
      1. Historical introduction
      2. Principles
      3. Types
        1. Bremsstrahlung
        2. Characteristic
        3. Percentage relationship with energy
      4. Common terms related to the x-ray beam
        1. Primary beam
        2. Remnant beam
        3. Leakage radiation
        4. Stray radiation
      5. Conditions necessary for production
        1. Source
        2. Acceleration
        3. Concentration
        4. Deceleration
      6. X-ray emission spectra
        1. Continuous spectrum
        2. Discrete spectrum
        3. Maximum wavelength
      7. Factors affecting emission spectra
        1. kVp
        2. mA
        3. Time
        4. Atomic number of target
        5. Distance
        6. Filtration
        7. Voltage waveform
      8. Efficiency in production
        1. Description
        2. Frequency and wavelength
    4. Interaction of photons with matter
      1. Transmission of photons
        1. Attenuated radiation
        2. Exit/remnant radiation
      2. Unmodified scattering
        1. Description of interaction
        2. Relation to atomic number
        3. Energy of incident photon and resulting product
        4. Probability of occurrence
        5. Application
      3. Photoelectric effect
        1. Description of interaction
        2. Relation to atomic number
        3. Energy of incident photon and resulting product
        4. Probability of occurrence
          1. Atomic number
          2. Photon energy
          3. Part density
        5. Application
      4. Modified scattering
        1. Description of interaction
        2. Relation to atomic number
        3. Energy
        4. Probability of occurrence
      5. Pair production
      6. Photodisintegration
    5. X-ray Circuit
      1. Electricity
        1. Potential difference
        2. Current
          1. Direct
          2. Alternating
        3. Resistance
      2. Protective devices
        1. Ground
        2. Circuit breaker
      3. Transformers
        1. Step-up
        2. Step-down
      4. Components and functions
        1. Primary circuit
        2. Secondary circuit
        3. Filament circuit
      5. Rectification
        1. Purpose
        2. Solid state
        3. Types
          1. Single phase
          2. Three phase
          3. Falling load
          4. High frequency
    6. Radiographic equipment
      1. Permanent installation
        1. Tubes
        2. Collimators
        3. Tables
        4. Control panels
        5. Tube stands
        6. Wall units
        7. Manipulation of equipment
      2. Mobile units
        1. Types
        2. Components
        3. Purpose
        4. Applications
      3. Automatic exposure control devices
        1. Ionization chambers
        2. Maximum reaction time
        3. Back up time
        4. Positioning considerations
          1. Cell locations
          2. Cell size
          3. Cell sensitivity
        5. Compensating for variations of patient size and pathology
    7. Diagnostic X-ray tubes
      1. Rotating anode, cathode, tube housing construction
        1. Design
        2. Function
      2. Extending tube life
        1. Warm up procedures
        2. Rotor considerations
        3. Filament considerations
        4. Tube loading
        5. Tube movement
        6. Heat units
  3. Assessment Methods for Course Learning Goals

    Student assessment consists of in-class exams, electronically administered exams, multi-media projects, participation in classroom/online discussions, simulation in our Radiology Laboratory.
  4. Reference, Resource, or Learning Materials to be used by Student:

    1. Radiographs
    2. Audio visual aids- PowerPoint presentations, videos
    3. Smartboard
    4. Radiology laboratory
    5. Shaderware simulation software in computer lab
    6. Textbooks and reference materials
    7. See course syllabus

Review/Approval Date 2/23/16

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