Abstract

This study examines the technological development in Western Europe in the decades around the turn of the century, as well as it investigates the causes for this development. Furthermore it examines the x-ray, one of the most significant discoveries in this period as well as  the theory behind it. In order to confirm the theory three deductive experiments were conducted at Aarhus university. At last a discussion about the societal impacts of the discovery of the x-ray will be made.  Through a causal analysis the causes for the technological development were found, and the analysis pointed to a combination of factors, such as a new university model, an education financed by the state, and personal motivation were important as there appeared to be a coherence between the technological development and those factors. The experiments at Aarhus university were conducted by an x-ray tube which sent radiation toward a detector. The data from the first experiment showed that the anode in the x-ray tube most likely was made of copper as the test results only differed 0,66% and 0,045% from the theoretical value of copper. Small changes were made in the second experiment in which an absorbing object was put in between the detector and the x-ray source. In this experiment  the attenuation coeffoecient was determined for 5 different energies with an average deviation of 30%. While the detector was moved in a new angle in the last experiment in order to prevent it from measuring the radiation from the x-ray source, instead it measured an unknown object which was excitated by the x-rays. Test results showed that the object mainly consisted of tin and silver. In the end, the discussion showed that the benefits of the x-rays far outweigh the negatives. [Læs mere…]