Final answer:
The ratio of the largest signal to the smallest signal measured by a CT detector is known as the dynamic range. It is crucial for distinguishing minor differences in X-ray absorption by various tissues in CT imaging.
Step-by-step explanation:
The ratio of the largest signal to the smallest signal measured by a CT detector is known as the dynamic range. The term dynamic range refers to the range of signal intensities that a detector can accurately measure, from the smallest to the largest without saturation or loss of detail. This is essential in CT imaging where various soft tissues exhibit minute differences in X-ray absorption, requiring the detector to be sensitive to a broad range of signals to distinguish among them. Contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) deals with the ability to differentiate two regions with different signal intensities in the presence of noise. Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) describes how much the signal stands out from the noise, affecting the image quality. Pixel size is related to the spatial resolution of the image, indicating the physical dimensions of an image pixel.