GCSE Questions: Medical Physics

- scanning and therapy

Q9.(a) The diagram shows the position of three types of wave in the electromagnetic spectrum.

Which letter represents the position of X-rays in the electromagnetic spectrum?

[1 mark]

(b) A doctor needs to obtain an image of a bone in a patient's injured arm.

The doctor takes an X-ray of the arm.

Give one possible harmful consequence of receiving a dose of X-ray radiation.

[1 mark]

Method	Radiation dose in millisieverts
X-ray of arm	0.1
CT scan of arm	6.0

Compare the risk of harm to the patient of having an X-ray rather than a CT scan.

[2 marks]

(d) Tick the one of the following that is the same as 6.0 millisieverts.

[1 mark]

(e) The patient received a total radiation dose of 2.5 millisieverts during one year.

Calculate the percentage of this dose that came from one X-ray of the arm.

[2 marks]

(Total 7 marks)