Alpha, Beta and Gamma

Question 1

what is background radiation?

Answer 1

-a small amount of ionising radiation is detectable in the environment using a Geiger counter
-it is completely natural and not dangerous

Question 2

why is background radiation called background radiation?

Answer 2

it is not intense enough to cause damage, the source of this radiation is separate atoms of a radioactive isotopes spread out amongst normal atoms

Question 3

what are some sources of background radiation?

Answer 3

-radon gas from the ground
-buildings and the ground
-artificial sources (medical and nuclear weapons testing)
-cosmic rays
-food and drink

Question 4

what are radioactive sources?

Answer 4

radioactive sources are natural materials dug up from the ground that contain a larger number of radioactive nuclei