Half-Life And The Dangers Of Radioactivity

Question 1

Radioactive radiation is dangerous because…

Answer 1

…it can ionise the atoms inside your cells and can alter them, leading to illnesses and deformities

Question 2

We can stay safe by…

Answer 2

…avoiding prolonged exposure, getting away from harmful substances (if nothing else), storing the radioactive substance in lead, using a minimal amount of the substance, not touching it with your bare hands

Question 3

The difference between contamination and irradiation is…

Answer 3

…contamination is when a substance is on or in you, so even if you get away from the source, you will still exposed to it.
Irradiation is exposure to the substance- in essence, you are getting “zapped” by the radiation

Question 4

Half-life has many definitions however the one we need to learn currently for physics is…

Answer 4

…the time taken for the activity of the radioactive substance to half