X-rays are ionizing radiation, which is not as intuitive and easy to observe as sunlight, so Roentgen’s discovery of X-rays in a spirit of scientific perseverance is very respectable. After Roentgen’s discovery of X-rays, the world’s first X-ray tube was born, and this new discovery was immediately applied in the fields of disease diagnosis and industrial flaw detection. Nowadays, X-ray technology is even more widely used, with applications including industrial flaw detection, medical diagnosis, cure and treatment, material analysis, scientific research, drug auditing, etc., and can be said to play an important role. So what are the noteworthy characteristics of X-rays as a special, ionizing radiation that is important for production, medical treatment and life? Summarized by researchers, the main characteristics of X-rays are: 1. X-rays are photon radiation, photons are uncharged particles, which are essentially electromagnetic waves with a shorter wavelength than ultraviolet light. 2, the wavelength distribution of X-rays usually produced by X-ray tube is continuous, and the shortest wavelength is determined by the excitation voltage of the X-ray tube. If the excitation voltage of an X-ray tube is measured in kV, the wavelength of X-rays (nm) = 123.9/kV. 3.As an electromagnetic wave, X-rays also have the characteristics of light, with reflection, interference, diffraction, scattering and other phenomena. 4.X-ray colleagues have volatility and particle nature, i.e. wave-particle two-phase nature. The speed of propagation in vacuum is the speed of light, and the product of wavelength and frequency is equal to the speed of light c. The particle property of X-rays is mainly manifested by the fact that X-rays can be regarded as a stream of photons consisting of one particle of discontinuous photons. 5.X-rays are not affected by electric or magnetic fields. 6.X-rays can cause photochemical reactions of certain substances, such as making film photosensitive. 7.X-rays can make fluorescent substances emit fluorescence. 8.X-rays can cause ionization of gases and other substances. 9.X-rays travel in a straight line and can penetrate substances and be absorbed and weakened by substances. 10.X-rays can kill biological cells. These properties of X-rays allow humans to apply this ionizing radiation in many ways, however, by the properties of X-rays we can also find that although X-rays are valuable, this ionizing radiation is also dangerous if not used safely. Therefore, when we use X-rays to help our production life, we must pay attention to radiation protection and protect human body from its harm.