PHYS 3506 Assigned : 15 Jan 2018

Due : 25 Jan 2018

PROBLEM SET 1

1. (a) With reference to Fig. 1(a) show that the magnification of an object is given by
M=SID/SOD.
(b) With reference to Fig. 1(b) show that the size of the penumbra (blur) f is given by
f=F(M-1).

2. By means of a diagram, discuss what effect will be produced on a film when a focused grid
designed for 100 cm is used at 150 cm.

3. A patient lying down on his back is imaged with an x-ray tube. The slope of the anode is 12
degrees. The actual focal spot size is 2 mm by 2 mm. The source to chest distance is 100 cm.
One embedded structure of 4 mm width is at a depth of 4 cm while another is of 2 mm width at
8 cm depth. The image plane is 10 cm below the patient’s back and the distance from the chest
to the back is 25 cm. (a) Calculate the size of both structures at the image plane. (b) Calculate
the size of the blurred regions of the image sections of the embedded structures.

4. Light intensity is reduced from 900 mW/cm2 to 9 mW/cm2 by a film. Find the optical density of
the film.

5. For optical density (OD) regions on film of 1.0, 1.3, and 2.0, how much of the light from a view
box will be transmitted?

6. Textbook 1.1

7. Textbook 1.2

PHYS 3506 Physics of Medical Imaging Page 1 of 2

8. Textbook 1.3

9. Textbook 1.5

10. Compton scattering of photons causes image blurring since the secondary photon diverges from
the primary beam. You are designing an x-ray detector system and wish to eliminate all photons
that have been scattered more than 25 degrees in an attempt to improve the resulting image
quality. You are using a monoenergetic x-ray source that emits photons with wavelength 8.9 x
10-2 angstroms. Your detector is capable of discriminating the energy of the incoming photon by
examining the pulse height. What range of photon energies will your system accept? [Ref: J.L.
Price and J.M. Links –Medical Imaging Signals and Systems].

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