Medical Dictionary
Main Entry:
Coo·lidge tube Pronunciation:
'kü-lij- Function:
noun : a vacuum tube for the generation of X rays in which the cathode consists of aspiral filament of incandescent tungsten and the target serves as the anode and consists of massive tungsten and in which the temperature of the cathode determines the intensity of the X rays while theapplied voltage determines wavelength
Coolidge, William David (1873–1975), American engineer and physicist. In 1913 Coolidge invented an X-ray tube (now known as theCoolidge tube) that was the prototype of the modern X-ray tube.
