Practice Problems Chapter 1

1. The atom !"! contains _____ electrons, ______ protons, and ______ neutrons.
A. 6 6 8
B. 6 8 8
C. 14 6 8
D. 14 8 20
E. 8 6 14
2. Electron binding energy is ___________.
A. Greater in the L shell than the K shell of an atom
B. Greater for the K shell of hydrogen than the K shell of barium
C. Increases with Z
D. All of the above
3. What do the following stand for in an atom specified as !!:
A. A is the number of neutrons
B. Z is the number of protons
C. (A + Z) is the number of nucleons
D. (A Z) is the number of neutrons
E. A & C
F. B & D
4. The number of electrons in the outer shell of an atom:
A. is always 2n2
B. is greater for radioactive isotopes than for stable isotopes of the same element
C. determines the chemical properties of the atom
D. is always between 8 and 16
E. is 1 for all inert gases
 Practice Problems Chapter 2
1. In the expression A = Ao e t, is _______.
A. The number/fraction of atoms decaying per unit time
B. The fraction of atoms decaying in time (t)
C. The linear attenuation coefficient
D. The mass attenuation coefficient
2. If the half-life of a radionuclide is 74 days, the decay constant is __________.
A. 3.7 days
B. 37 days
C. 106.8 days
D. 0.0094 per day
E. 0.027 per day
3. If the physical half-life Tp of a radionuclide is much smaller than its biological half-
life Tb, the effective half-life will be closest to _______. ( D2L slide 6)
A. Tp
B. Tb
C. (Tp + Tb)/2
D. (TpTb)1/2
E. 1.44 Tp
226
4. Ra decays to 222Rn by _______ decay.
A. Beta minus
B. Alpha
C. Gamma
D. Beta plus
E. Both A and C
 Practice Problems Chapter 3
1. The process of bremsstrahlung production is the result of collision between:
A. Neutrons and a nucleus
B. A high speed electron and the strong electric field near a nucleus
C. A photon and a neutron
D. A neutron and another neutron
2. Characteristic x-rays are produced when:
A. an electron is converted into a photon
B. an ejected neutron gives away excess energy to become stable
C. an electron from an outer shell makes a transition to an inner shell
D. None of the above
3. Hardening of x-ray beams refers to using filters to produce a beam of:
A. greater intensity
B. lower average energy photons
C. higher average energy photons
D. none of the above
4. X-ray tube targets are generally made of:
A. Low Z material such as Al
B. High Z material such as tungsten
C. An alloy of lead and copper
D. Complex organic compounds
 Practice Problems Chapter 4
1. The half value layer of a superficial beam is between:
A. 0-1 mm Al
B. 1-10 mm Al
C. 10-30 mm Al
D. 30-50 mm Al
2. In orthovoltage therapy, 90% of the dose occurs at an approximate depth of:
A. 0.5 cm
B. 1.0 cm
C. 2.0 cm
D. 5.0 cm
3. The output of a cobalt-60 therapy source decreases each month by about:
A. 0.1%
B. 1.0%
C. 2.0%
D. 5.0%
4. Which of the following is not an accelerator component:
A. waveguide
B. transducer
C. circulator
D. modulator
E. thyratron
5. In a linear accelerator, the flattening filter is used to:
A. flatten the front end of the accelerator head
B. make the beam intensity uniform
C. produce electron beams
D. filter the neutrons from the beam
 Practice Problems Chapter 5
1. Ionization implies:
A. an excited state of the atom
B. the production of x-rays
C. the removal of an electron from the atom
D. a neutral state of the atom
2. The amount of attenuation of a photon beam by a material depends upon:
A. energy of the photon
B. linear attenuation coefficient of the material
C. thickness of the material
D. all of the above
3. In coherent scattering the energy of the photon is:
A. increased
B. decreased
C. unchanged
D. none of the above
4. The photoelectric process is most significant in the energy range of:
A. 1 keV to 100 keV
B. 100 keV to 500 keV
C. 500 keV to 1 MeV
D. 1 MeV to 5 MeV
5. When a photon undergoes a Compton process:
A. a photon of reduced energy is scattered
B. it is completely absorbed
C. characteristic x-rays are produced
D. two Compton electrons are produced
6. The linear attenuation coefficient () for monoenergetic photons is equal to:
A. HVL x 1.44
B. 0.693/HVL
C. HVL x 0.693
D. (HVL) to the power half
7. Pair Production refers to:
A. two orbital electrons are ejected from the atom
B. one electron and one positron is ejected from the atom
C. in the field of the nucleus, the energy of the interacting photon is
converted into a positron and an electron
D. any of the above
 Practice Problems Dosimetry & Instrumentation

Each question is worth 2 points. #9, 10, and 13 are BONUS questions worth 2 points
each. 19 questions = 38 possible points
1. The process whereby energy is transferred from a photon beam to electrons in the
medium is called:
A. electron capture
B. absorption
C. bremsstrahlung
D. scatter
2. Match the most appropriate instrument to the procedure in each question:
I. Liquid scintillation counter
II. NaI well counter
III. Geiger-Mueller (GM) counter
IV. Thermoluminescent dosimeter (TLD)
V. Ionization chamber survey meter
A. used to detect very small levels of radioactivity
B. particulate contamination survey for Tc-99m or used with a wipe test to check
radioactive shipments
C. radiation survey of a diagnostic x-ray installation
D. personnel monitoring
3. Collecting all the negative ions produced by a beam of photons in a small volume of
air, under conditions of electronic equilibrium, is a direct measure of:
A. dose equivalent
B. LET
C. absorbed dose
D. exposure
E. specific ionization
4. If the temperature is 22C and the pressure is 770 mm mercury, the correction to an
ionization chamber reading would be _____:
A. 1.013
B. 1.0
C. 0.994
D. 0.987
E. 0.974
5. Megavoltage photons can be detected by all of the following except:
A. an ion chamber
B. a Geiger counter
C. a diode
D. a thermoluminescent dosimeter (TLD)
E. a flow meter
6. Exposure is ________
A. the energy absorbed in a given mass of a medium
B. the air kerma of a photon beam
C. measured in Sv
D. the ionization in a given mass of air
7. Match the following units with the quantities below: (answers may be used more than
once or not at all)
I. Bq
II. Sv
III. C/kg
IV. Gy
V. J
A. absorbed dose
B. activity
C. exposure
 D. dose equivalent
8. Ion chamber readings are corrected for temperature and pressure because:
A. the chambers calibration factor is stated at 22C and 760 mmHg
B. as temperature increases, the gas in the chamber expands, resulting in a higher
collected charge
C. as pressure increases, the gas in the chamber is compressed, resulting in a
lower collected charge
D. all of the above are true
9. A series of dosimeters are irradiated in water with Co-60 and then with 15 MV x-rays.
In both cases the dose to the water at the position of the dosimeter was 1 Gy. For which
dosimeter will the readings for the two energies differ the least?
A. ionization chamber (air cavity)
B. diode (silicon)
C. film (silver halide)
D. TLD (LiF)
10. In measuring beam profiles for small x-ray beams, which of the following is the
detector with the best spatial resolution?
A. diodes
B. film
C. ionization chambers with detector dimensions equal to or greater than 2 mm
11. Which of the following radiation detectors can be used to calibrate a linac photon
beam?
1. TLD chip
2. therapy verification film
3. diode
4. farmer ion chamber
A. 1,2,3
B. 1,3
C. 2,4
D. 4 only
E. all of the above
12. Factors influencing the relationship of dose equivalent to absorbed dose for
particulate radiation include:
1. atomic mass
2. electric charge
3. kinetic energy
4. linear energy transfer (LET)
A. 1,3
B. 2,4
C. 3,4
D. 2,3,4
E. all of the above
13. Compared to a standard ionization-chamber survey meter, a pressurized ion-chamber
meter:
A. has equal energy dependence
B. is more sensitive
C. needs no temperature or pressure corrections
D. uses air as its filling gas
E. all of the above
14. Ion-recombination can be a problem when using a:
A. calorimeter
B. Geiger counter
C. ionization chamber
D. TLD
15. An unsealed ion chamber is exposed under identical condition to the same amount of
radiation in cities A and B. It has a lower charge reading in city A than in city B because:
A. the relative humidity might be higher in city B
B. the temperature might be higher in city B
C. the pressure might be lower in city A
D. the stem effect might be more in city B
E. background radiation could be higher in city B
16. For a cylindrical ion chamber with inner radius, r, the effective point of dose
measurement in water is shifted:
A. upstream by a distance of 2 r for electron beams
B. upstream by a distance of r for electron beams
C. downstream by a distance of 0.75 r for electron beams
D. downstream by a distance of r for electron beams
E. upstream by a distance of 0.5 r for electron beams
17. Exposure is defined for ionization produced in:
A. water
B. tissue
C. air
D. fat
18. One roentgen corresponds to a charge of:
A. 3.7 x 1010 disintegrations/sec
B. 2.58 x 10-4 coulomb/kg
C. 0.03 esu of electrostatic charge
D. 1 electron volt
19. A free-air ionization chamber is an instrument used to measure:
A. the charge of free electrons in a radiation beam
B. ionization produced in a well specified volume of air according to the
definition of roentgen
C. charge particle equilibrium
D. number of ionization tracks produced by electrons
20. The most common wall material used for the outer wall of the ionization chamber is:
A. aluminum
B. copper
C. graphite or nylon
D. lead
21. Calibration of an ionization chamber means it has been:
A. exposed to radiation to stabilize
B. compared against a national standard to establish a correction factor
C. tested against leakage and electrical shorts
D. made waterproof
22. An electrometer is an instrument used to measure:
A. charge, current
B. voltage, resistance
C. capacitance
D. all of the above
 Dosimetry & Instrumentation Practice Problems EXTRA

1. Ionization chambers used for machine calibration require temperature and pressure corrections
to account for:
a. Variations in the mass of air in the collection volume
b. The expansion of the air at high pressure
c. The contraction of the air at high temperature
d. Variations in the probability of ionization at different temperatures
e. None of the above
2. The AAPM recommends the TG-51 protocol for photon beam calibration. This protocol requires
calibration to be performed in:
a. Acrylic
b. Solid water
c. Water
d. Any medium similar to muscle tissue of known composition
3. The output of a linear accelerators photon beam is calibrated to be 1.0 cGy/MU. This calibration
point is always at ______.
a. Depth dmax, 100 cm SSD, 10 x 10 cm field size
b. Depth 10 cm, 100 cm SSD, 10 x 10 cm field size
c. Depth dmax, 100 cm SAD, 10 x 10 cm field size
d. Depth 10 cm, 100 cm SAD, 10 x 10 cm field size
e. A depth, distance, and field size specified by the physicist, consistent with data used for
treatment planning
4. Radiochromic film offers the following advantages as a dosimeter, except:
a. High resolution
b. No chemicals or darkroom needed for development
c. Tissue equivalence
d. Small dependence on photon energy
e. Very high sensitivity
Match the quantity measured by the dosimeter with the type of dosimeter:
5. Calorimeter _____ a. charge collected
6. TLD _____ b. optical density
c. light emitted on heating
d. temperature change
e. change in viscosity
7. Which of the following can be used to verify an IMRT plans relative dose distribution?
a. A diode array
b. Radiographic film
c. GafChromic film
d. An ion chamber array
e. All of the above
8. Which of the following is not recommended for in-vivo patient measurement?
a. A diode
b. An ion chamber
c. TLD
d. None of the above are recommended
9. When a linac calibration is performed with an ion chamber, temperature and pressure
corrections are made to account for expansion or contraction of:
a. The chamber wall material
b. The gas in the ion chamber
c. The phantom
d. Changes in the cables between the chamber and electrometer
10. Regarding the AAPMs TG-51 calibration protocol, all of the following are true except:
a. The ion chamber must be calibrated at an accredited lab, in water, and in a Co-60 beam.
b. Beam quality is defined by the ratio of readings at 10 and 20 cm depth in water
c. Only Farmer-type chambers can be used
d. TG-51 protocol can be used for photons and electrons