An atom is the basic particle of matter, the smallest (~10^-8cm) particle of a chemical element. Atoms consist of a nucleus with neutrons, positive charged protons and orbiting negative charged electrons. The chemical properties of elements are defined largely by the number of protons in the nucleus. The number of electrons is similar to the number of protons. An atom is ionized when the number of electrons is not equal to the number of protons; the resulting electrical charge depends on the difference between the number of protons and the number of electrons.

See Rutherford-Bohr Atom Model, Ionization.

The atomic mass is the mass of the naturally occurring mixture of isotopes of an element.

See also Mass Number, Atomic Mass Unit and Isotope.

(AMU) is equal to the mass of one-twelfth of a carbon-12 atom (6 protons + 6 neutrons (+ 6 electrons)), a 'very' little less than 1.66 x 10^-24 gram.

See also Mass Number and Atomic Mass.

The atomic number of a nucleus is the number of protons contained in the nucleus.

The attenuation of radiation is a decrease in intensity as a result of interactions by transmission through matter. X-ray beams attenuate due to photon absorption by the material or scattering. Both effects are energy dependent. The probability of absorption or scattering is a function of the photon energy. The photoelectric absorption is much more energy dependent than the Compton scatter effect.

See also Attenuation Correction, Linear Energy Transfer, Broad Beam and Ion Beam.