Bremsstrahlung is a German term defined as:

• A. braking radiation
• B. characteristic radiation
• C. scatter radiation
• D. discrete radiation

Answer: (A)

Bremsstrahlung is the radiation produced when fast electrons are decelerated by the electric field of atomic nuclei. That rapid slowing or braking of the electron causes it to emit photons, resulting in a continuous spectrum of X-ray energies. The name literally means “braking radiation,” which describes this deceleration process.

Other options describe different processes: characteristic radiation comes from electrons dropping to lower shells inside atoms, producing specific energy lines; scatter radiation (Compton scattering) comes from photons colliding with electrons and changing energy; “discrete radiation” isn’t a standard descriptor for X-ray production.