American Society for Nondestructive Testing (ASNT) Radiographic Testing Practice Test

When electrons collide with a target in an x-ray tube, the primary form of radiation produced is electromagnetic radiation. This occurs as the high-energy electrons are decelerated upon striking the target material, typically made of tungsten. The sudden deceleration leads to the emission of x-rays, which are a type of electromagnetic radiation.

X-rays have specific characteristics that classify them as electromagnetic radiation, such as having no mass and traveling at the speed of light. They occupy a certain range within the electromagnetic spectrum, distinct from other forms of radiation like visible light, radio waves, or ultraviolet light.

While ionizing radiation also falls under the category of electromagnetic radiation and x-rays are, indeed, a form of ionizing radiation, the focus of the question is on the type produced during this specific interaction in the x-ray tube. Queries related to alpha or beta radiation pertain to different mechanisms of radiation production, which do not occur in the x-ray tube setting. Alpha particles are heavy and positively charged, while beta particles are electrons or positrons emitted from radioactive decay, neither of which relates to the context of x-ray generation in an x-ray tube.