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National 5 Physics > Nuclear Radiation > Flashcards

Nuclear Radiation Flashcards

Learn about alpha, beta and gamma radiation, the effects of ionisation, absorption and shielding, background radiation, absorbed dose, equivalent dose, half life's, nuclear fission and fusion reactions, nuclear power, and biological effects if radiation

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1
Q

What are the 3 different types of radiation?

A

Alpha, Beta, and Gamma

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2
Q

What is an alpha particle?

A

An alpha particle is a nucleus of a helium atom

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3
Q

What is a beta particle?

A

A beta particle is a fast moving electron

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4
Q

What is gamma radiation?

A

Gamma radiation is a type of electromagnetic wave

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5
Q

What charge do alpha particles have?

A

They have a positive charge

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6
Q

What charge do beta particles have?

A

They have a negative charge

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7
Q

What charge do gamma rays have?

A

They don’t have a charge, as they are electromagnetic waves

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8
Q

What is larger - an alpha particle or a beta particle?

A

Alpha particles are larger

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9
Q

What speed do gamma rays travel at?

A
  • 300,000,000 m/s

* 3x10^8

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10
Q

What can be used to absorb alpha radiation?

A

20cm of air or a thin sheet of paper

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11
Q

What can be used to absorb beta radiation?

A

3cm of aluminium

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12
Q

What can be used to absorb gamma radiation?

A

Several cm of lead or a few metres of concrete

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13
Q

Why are atoms usually neutral?

A

They have the same number of negative electrons as they do positive protons, which therefore give it no charge overall

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14
Q

What causes ions to be created?

A

When an electron is either attracted to or repelled from an atom, which causes the atom to become charged.

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15
Q

If an electron is lost, what charge will the ion have?

A

Positive charge

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16
Q

What is an ion?

A

A charged particle

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17
Q

What radiation causes the most ionisation?

A

Alpha radiation

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18
Q

Why do beta particles cause less ionisation?

A

They are smaller, so do less damage

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19
Q

Give the name and units for each letter in the equation -

A=N/t

A 
A= Activity, Baqurels, Bq
N= Number of decays, no unit 
t= Time, Seconds, S
20
Q

In what 3 ways can controlled ionisation be beneficial?

A

Can be used to diagnose and treat certain illnesses

To protect people, such as smoke detectors

In industry, such as monitoring newspaper thickness in a paper mill

21
Q

What is shielding?

A

When materials that absorb radiation are used to protect objects which are sensitive to the types radiation

22
Q

What is absorbed dose?

A

Absorbed dose is how much energy per kilogram, from radiation, has been received

23
Q

What is absorbed dose measured in?

A

Grays, Gy

24
Q

Give the name and units of what each letter stands for in the equation-

D=E/m

A 
D= Absorbed Dose, Grays, Gy
E= Energy, Joules, J
m= Mass, Kilograms, Kg
25
Q

Give the name and units of what each letter stands for, in the equation -

H= WR x D

A 
H= Equivalent Dose, Sievert, Sv
D= Absorbed Dose, Grays, Gy
WR= Radiation Weighting Factor, no units
26
Q

What is background radiation?

A

Background radiation is radiation from our surroundings, which is normally at a very low level

27
Q

What are some examples of natural sources of radiation?

A

Radon gas from rocks and soil
Gamma rays from the ground
Carbon and Potassium in our bodies
Cosmic rays from outer space

28
Q

What are some artificial sources of radiation?

A

Medical applications, such as X rays and radionuclides
Fallout from weapons testing
Nuclear waste from power stations

29
Q

How is radiation used in medical practices?

A

For xrays, scans and cancer treatments

30
Q

What can radiation be used for in industry?

A

To test and inspect welds for flaws

31
Q

What is equivalent dose measured in?

A

Sieverts, Sv

32
Q

What is the definition of a half life?

A

The half life is the time taken for the activity of a radioactive source to fall to half of its previous value

33
Q

What happens to a radioactive substance when it emits radiation?

A

Its nucleus decays

34
Q

What is activity?

A

The rate of decay of an atoms nucleus

35
Q

What happens in a fission reaction?

A

A nucleus with a large mass number splits, leaving 2 nuclei with smaller mass numbers, along with some neutrons

36
Q

What are the 2 types of nuclear fission?

A

Spontaneous, and Induced

37
Q

What type of fission occurs when there is an unstable nucleus?

A

Spontaneous Fission

38
Q

How is Induced fission started?

A

Large atoms are forced to split, by bombarding them with with slow moving neutrons.

39
Q

What is an example of a moderator, and what is it used for?

A

Graphite is a moderator which is used to slow down the fast moving neutrons released by a fission reaction. This increases the chances of further reactions happening.

40
Q

What is a fission reaction managed by?

A

It’s managed by using a control rod, made of boron, to absorb some of the slow neutrons

41
Q

How do uncontrolled fission reactions happen?

A
  • a neutron enters the split nucleus
  • from this, both energy and products are released
  • this starts a chain reaction, which very quickly increases the number of nuclei involved
42
Q

What is nuclear fusion?

A

Nuclear fusion is the joining of 2 or more smaller nuclei, to form a larger one

43
Q

Where do fusion reactions take place?

A

In the sun and in other stars

44
Q

In a nuclear power station, what is the heat released by the nuclear reaction used for?

A

To produce steam in the heat exchanger

45
Q

What is the steam produced used for in a nuclear power station

A

To turn the turbine, which turns the generator to produce electricity

46
Q

What biological effects does radiation have?

A

It can kill or damage living cells

If the DNA of a cell is altered it can grow into a tumour

47
Q

What are some environmental hazards of radiation?

A

Very high doses can be fatal

Lower doses cause sickness and mutations

National 5 Physics (4 decks)

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