If a radiographer reads 7.5 on a 10x scale of the survey meter, what is the current dose rate?

In this scenario, the survey meter reading indicates a position on a logarithmic scale, where each increment represents a tenfold increase in the measured quantity. When a radiographer reads a value of 7.5 on a 10x scale, it is important to recognize that this scale is designed to convey dose rates in millirems per hour (mR/h).

To interpret a reading of 7.5 on a 10x scale, we can deduce that the actual dose rate can be calculated as follows: the base increments on a logarithmic scale translate into powers of ten. Thus, each whole number reflects ten times the lower point when moving on this scale. Specifically, a reading of 7 corresponds to a dose rate of 10^7 or 10 million mR/h, while a reading of 8 would indicate 10^8 or 100 million mR/h. Therefore, when the reading is stated in a decimal form such as 7.5, it suggests a value halfway between these two whole numbers.

However, for clarity, let's analyze the exponential representation of that decimal. While the calculation could derive from a formula using average values of these powers, using the metric typically encountered in these scales simplifies to