The second way in which x-ryas are made is called bremsstrahlung. Whenever charged particles are increased or decreased, an electromagnetic ray is then created. The speed of the electrons is then increased around the nucleus because of the attractive force of opposite charges. When electrons reach high velocity levels, this occurs leading to a high atomic number. This process is how x-ray machines produce x-rays. The third and final type of radiation is Nuclear Radiation. In nuclear radiation, neutrons can be given off during nuclear reactions and, they can be given out by decay of certain radionuclides. This rarely occurs with naturally occurring radionulcides. Neutrons can be absorbed or scattered by the nucleus of atoms they interact themselves with. When the neutrons are absorbed, nuclear radiation is possible and often is in the output of secondary radiation. .
The types of Radiation Interactions with Matter deal with alpha, beta, gamma and x-ray as well as neutron radiation. Before going into the types, one must understand what an interaction with matter means. First off, a significant characteristic of radiation is that radiation can ionize atoms. Most atoms are, for the most part, electrically neutral, which means that they have the same number of protons and electrons. Radiation has the ability to directly or indirectly cause electrons to be removed from atoms. This creates a pair of charged particles, one is an electron and the other is the remaining atom, which is now positively charged. This is the process called ionization. Getting into the first interaction of radiation is alpha radiation. In the interaction of alpha radiation alpha particles follow a straight path in the material that it penetrates, causing a very dense ionization and excitation events along the track. This happens in orders of millions per inch. The most alpha ranges are less than five to six centimeters in air.