Wave nature of X-rays

X-rays exhibit wave properties, meaning they behave like ripples moving through space. They can interfere, diffract, and produce overlapping patterns, much like light waves or water waves. This wave nature arises because X-rays are electromagnetic waves—oscillations of electric and magnetic fields traveling at the speed of light. When X-rays encounter objects with tiny structures, their waves bend or interfere, creating detailed images and patterns. Understanding their wave behavior is essential in applications like medical imaging and materials analysis, as it explains phenomena such as diffraction and interference that reveal the structure of objects at a microscopic level.