ASNT Radiographic Testing Practice Test 2026 – Comprehensive All-in-One Guide for Exam Success!

To produce x-rays, electrons are accelerated to high velocities and directed towards a solid body known as a target. When these high-velocity electrons collide with the target, they abruptly decelerate, resulting in the generation of x-rays through a process called Bremsstrahlung radiation, as well as characteristic radiation, depending on the target material.

The target is specifically designed to withstand the energy of the electron beam and serve as the source of x-ray production. Materials commonly used as targets include tungsten and molybdenum due to their high atomic numbers and high melting points, which enable efficient x-ray generation while withstanding the heat produced by the collision with the electrons.

The other terms—source, detector, and receptor—have different roles in the radiographic testing process. The source typically refers to the overall system generating radiation, the detector is used to capture the radiation after it has passed through or interacted with the object being inspected, and the receptor is what holds the imaging medium, such as film or a digital sensor, in place to record the x-ray image. None of these options represent the component that directly interacts with the electrons to produce x-rays like the target does.