[ RadSafe ] radiolinguistic

[Franz Schönhofer]

John,

Regarding your question mark after "is/are": "Bremsstrahlung" is in German
grammatically a singular so it should read "is". I am used to read it in
English texts with a lower case "b". Theoretically one might form a plural
"Bremsstrahlungen", since different energies could form different energy
distributions of Bremsstrahlung, but it would simply sound ridiculous. It is
similar to the anti's "deadly radiation". Even if there were different
emissions involved, they would not use "radiations".  

Interesting is that for "X-rays" the German expression is
"Roentgen-Strahlung" (Roentgen radiation), which also is grammatically a
singular and should be used in connection with "ist" ("is"). My limited
knowledge of the English language tells me, that in that language one has to
use for this grammatical plural "are".

As to the "X-rays" vs. "Roentgen-Strahlung": Historically Wilhelm Roentgen
used the expression "X-Strahlen" (literarilly translated "X-rays"!)
(plural!), because they were at the time of discovery so unexplainable that
he used the mathematical "x" for an unknown. Only later they were named
"Röntgen-Strahlung" in his honour at least in the German speaking world, but
also in Polish, Finnish, Swedish, most probably Norvegian (Kjell?).

Finally to show that the status of scientists in the society was not very
high also in 1901: I read once an article about Roentgen, which included a
copy of his application for a temporary leave to be able to travel to
Stockholm to receive the Nobel prize. It was written - as it had to be! - in
a very submissive way, which I cannot translate. The name of the important
person to whom it was directed and who had to give his consent has never
again shown up in history. Question: Has much been changed since then???


Best regards,

Franz

Franz Schoenhofer, PhD
MinRat i.R.
Habicherg. 31/7
A-1160 Wien/Vienna
AUSTRIA


-----Ursprüngliche Nachricht-----
Von: radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl [mailto:radsafe-bounces at radlab.nl] Im Auftrag
von John R Johnson
Gesendet: Mittwoch, 19. September 2007 18:01
An: Geo>K0FF; Johansen, Kjell; radsafe at radlab.nl
Betreff: Re: [ RadSafe ] RE: Thundercloud gamm rays

George

I think Kjell (of Radsafe e:mail) and I agree with you, and that external 
Bremsstrahlung is/are? the same as X-rays that is?/are produced by a 
machine.

John