DANB Radiation Health and Safety (RHS) Practice Exam

Who discovered the x-ray?

1. Professor Wilhelm Roentgen

2. A medical imaging technician

3. A physicist from the U.S.

4. An early dental auxiliary

The correct answer is: Professor Wilhelm Roentgen

The discovery of the x-ray is attributed to Professor Wilhelm Roentgen, a German physicist. In 1895, while conducting experiments with cathode rays, Roentgen noticed that a fluorescent screen in his lab began to glow without any visible source of excitation. Through further investigation, he identified that these rays could penetrate various materials, including human tissue, and produce images of the bones inside the body, which he called “x-rays.” Roentgen's work laid the foundation for the field of medical imaging, fundamentally changing diagnostics in medicine. His pioneering research earned him the first Nobel Prize in Physics in 1901, affirming the significance of his discovery. The other individuals mentioned in the options may have played roles in the development or application of x-ray technology, but it was Roentgen who first identified and described the phenomenon and its potential medical uses.