Video Transcript
Which of the following is a unit of absorbed radiation dose? (A) Ram, (B) rom, (C) rum, (D) rem.
This question is asking us to recall the name of the unit of an absorbed radiation
dose. Recall that absorbed dose is a measure of the amount of energy per kilogram absorbed
by whatever material is exposed to the radiation. So, the greater the absorbed dose, the greater the amount of energy per kilogram that
is absorbed. This greater absorbed dose will have a larger value of rem.
Option (A), ram, is an animal. It is also the name of a type of computer memory, and so it is not the correct
answer. Option (B), rom, is another computer memory storage method, and so it is not the
correct answer. Option (C), rum, is a drink, and so is not the correct answer. Therefore, option (D), rem, is the right answer.
Rem is derived from the phrase “Roentgen equivalent man,” where Roentgen is named
after the physicist Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen. He received the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1901 for his discovery of X-rays.
