X-ray
X-radiation is a form of electromagnetic radiation. Most X-rays have a wavelength in the range of 0.01 to 10 nanometers, corresponding to frequencies in the range 30 petahertz to 30 exahertz and energies in the range 100 eV to 100 keV. X-ray wavelengths are shorter than those of UV rays and typically longer than those of gamma rays. In many languages, X-radiation is referred to with terms meaning
Röntgen radiation, after Wilhelm Röntgen, who is usually credited as its discoverer, and who had named it
X-radiation to signify an unknown type of radiation. Spelling of
X-ray in the English language includes the variants
x-ray,
xray and
X ray. X-rays with photon energies above 5–10 keV are called
hard X-rays, while those with lower energy are called
soft X-rays. Due to their penetrating ability, hard X-rays are widely used to image the inside of objects, e.g., in medical radiography and airport security. As a result, the term
X-ray is metonymically used to refer to a radiographic image produced using this method, in addition to the method itself.