What are x-rays?

X-rays are like invisible messages that can show what’s inside something without touching it.

Imagine you have a toy box full of blocks and balls, but you can’t see what's inside. If you shine a really bright flashlight on the box from one side, some light might come out the other side, depending on what’s in there. X-rays work kind of like that bright flashlight, except it’s super powerful and can pass through things like your body or a box.

When you get an x-ray at the doctor’s office, the x-rays go through your arm (or leg, or chest). Some of them come out the other side, just like light coming through a box. But parts of your body, like bones, stop more x-rays than soft tissues do. That’s why on the picture you see white lines showing where the bones are.

It's like having a special detective who can tell what’s inside something by seeing how much of the "flashlight" comes out the other side, and then drawing a map of what it found!