Increasing beam filtration results in a beam described as harder. Which energy-related description is correct?

Increasing beam filtration results in a beam described as harder. Which energy-related description is correct?

• A. Higher energy
• B. Lower energy
• C. No change
• D. Variable energy

Answer: (A)

Increasing filtration removes the low-energy photons from the X-ray spectrum, so the remaining photons have higher energies. This shifts the spectrum toward higher energies and raises the average (effective) energy of the beam, making it harder and more penetrating. Filtration doesn’t increase the number of photons; it reduces the low-energy portion, and the resulting beam has a higher mean energy, not a softer or unchanged spectrum.

Increasing filtration removes the low-energy photons from the X-ray spectrum, so the remaining photons have higher energies. This shifts the spectrum toward higher energies and raises the average (effective) energy of the beam, making it harder and more penetrating. Filtration doesn’t increase the number of photons; it reduces the low-energy portion, and the resulting beam has a higher mean energy, not a softer or unchanged spectrum.