What is absorbed dose measured in?

What is absorbed dose measured in?

• A. Rems
• B. Grays
• C. Sieverts
• D. RADs

Answer: (D)

Absorbed dose is the amount of energy deposited in a mass of tissue per unit mass. The unit for this in the SI system is the gray (Gy), defined as one joule of energy deposited per kilogram of material. Since 1 Gy equals 100 rad, rad is an older CGS unit that corresponds to absorbed dose but is not the standard SI unit today. The other units shown are for dose with biological effect in mind. Rem and sievert are dose equivalents, which modify the absorbed dose by factors that account for radiation type and the sensitivity of tissues. They describe potential biological harm rather than the purely physical energy deposited. So, absorbed dose is measured in grays, with rad serving as the historical, non-SI counterpart.

Absorbed dose is the amount of energy deposited in a mass of tissue per unit mass. The unit for this in the SI system is the gray (Gy), defined as one joule of energy deposited per kilogram of material. Since 1 Gy equals 100 rad, rad is an older CGS unit that corresponds to absorbed dose but is not the standard SI unit today.

The other units shown are for dose with biological effect in mind. Rem and sievert are dose equivalents, which modify the absorbed dose by factors that account for radiation type and the sensitivity of tissues. They describe potential biological harm rather than the purely physical energy deposited.

So, absorbed dose is measured in grays, with rad serving as the historical, non-SI counterpart.