Customer Reviews

The Head Bone's Connected To The Neck Bone: The Weird, Wacky, and Wonderful X-Ray

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Step back in time to 1895 and the laboratory of Dr. Roentgen in Germany. He sees something no one had seen before. "Instead of seeing the shadow of his hand holding a piece of lead on the paper, Roentgen saw the image of a skeleton's bony hand. He couldn't believe his eyes. He was looking at the bones of his own fingers. it was incredible. It was impossible wasn't it?...Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen, at fifty years of age, had discovered something previously unknown in the scientific world: a ray of energy so powerful it could penetrate most objects, including flesh and bones. He called his new discovery X-rays because x is the mathematical symbol for the unknown."

This well-written book includes depth of research to show young readers the variety of uses for the x-ray. Fascinating photos combine with interesting stories to keep young readers turning the pages. This book is a great choice to interest anyone from 9 to 14 in the world of science. It's ideal for any home or school.

Sorry Mary R. Hofmann, Rivera Middle School, Merced, CA, in your review you describe Rontgen's discovery of x-rays as accidental. This is not true. Rontgen was in the process of working through a carefully designed series of experiments with the newly developed vacuum tubes that he knew would lead to discoveries. Because he did not know what he would discover, he named the new rays "x" for the mathematical unknown. As a professional radiographer, I take offense at describing his work, which led to the first Nobel ever given in Physics, as accidental. This is a common misperception and I have tried to carefully explain this in my books as well as my classes for more than 30 years now. Please don't take offense, but please don't continue the error.