A photon with the smallest wavelength in the continuous z-ray spectrum is emitted when:
A)an electron is knocked from a K shell
B)a valence electron is knocked from the atom
C)the incident electron becomes bound to the atom
D)the atom has the greatest recoil energy
E)the incident electron loses all its energy in a single decelerating event

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The smallest wavelength (which corresponds to the highest energy) in the continuous X-ray spectrum is emitted when the incident electron loses all its energy in a single decelerating event. This is because the energy of the emitted photon is directly proportional to the energy lost by the electron, and losing all its energy in one event results in the maximum possible energy transfer, thus the smallest possible wavelength according to the relationship $E = \frac{hc}{\lambda}$, where $E$ is the energy, $h$ is Planck's constant, $c$ is the speed of light, and $\lambda$ is the wavelength.

A Photon with the Smallest Wavelength in the Continuous Z-Ray