Which of the following is one of the three factors that determine the mammography spectrum?

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The energy distribution of the X-ray beam, or the mammography spectrum, is shaped by three things: the voltage setting (kVp), the target (anode) material, and the beam filtration. Filtration in the beam directly alters the spectrum by absorbing low-energy photons, which hardens the beam and shifts the mean energy higher. This filtering shapes how much low-energy radiation reaches the breast and detector, influencing dose and image contrast. While kvp sets the overall energy range and the target material affects the characteristic part of the spectrum, the choice that specifically determines the spectrum’s profile among the options is the filtration in the beam.