Texas Industrial Radiography Gamma Practice Test

What are portable devices used to measure the dose rate from a source of radiation called?

1. Area Monitors

2. Film Badges

3. Survey Instruments

4. TLD's

The correct answer is: Survey Instruments

Portable devices designed to measure the dose rate from a source of radiation are known as survey instruments. These instruments are essential tools for radiological safety and health physics, used to assess the radiation levels in various environments and ensure exposure limits are not exceeded. Survey instruments can provide real-time measurements and are often equipped with features such as audible alerts, visual indicators, and digital readouts, making them invaluable for monitoring radiation in both industrial and research settings. They help professionals detect, measure, and quantify ionizing radiation, which is critical in ensuring safety protocols are followed during radiographic procedures. The other options, while related to radiation monitoring, serve different purposes. Area monitors are typically fixed and used for continuous surveillance of radiation levels in a specific location, which differs from the portable and more versatile nature of survey instruments. Film badges are personal monitoring devices that accumulate radiation exposure over time, but they do not provide immediate dose rate readings. TLDs (Thermoluminescent Dosimeters) also measure accumulated radiation exposure but are not designed for real-time dose rate measurements either. Hence, the ability of survey instruments to provide immediate and portable measurements makes them the correct answer for the question posed.