Chapter 6: Radioactivity Flashcards
What are the 3 types of radiation?
Alpha, beta and gamma
What is an alpha particle made up of? What is it’s charge?
It is 2 protons and 2 neutrons (A helium nucleus). It has a charge of 2+
What is a beta particle made up of? What is it’s charge?
An electron. It has a charge of 1-
What is a gamma particle made up of? What is it’s charge?
It is an electromagnetic wave. It has no charge.
How easily can each particle be stopped?
The larger the particle, the less far it can travel. Alpha can be stopped by paper, beta can be stopped by aluminium, gamma lead.
What happens when the atomic number changes
The element changes
What happens in beta decay?
A neutron turns into a proton and an electron. The mass number does not change
How do you calculate half life from a graph?
Find half of the original value and look at the time it corresponds to. Repeat and find the average time value
What happens in ionization?
An electron is knocked off an atom
