P4:atomic structures Flashcards
what is gamma radiation
high energy electromagnetic waves that are emitted by a unstable nuclei
for an alpha equation what do you take away the top and bottom number by
4 and 2
what is alpha radiation
when the nucleus ejects a helium nucleus
what is beta radiation
when the nucleus decays into a proton and emit high energy electron
which radiation is the most ionising
alpha
which radiation is the least ionising
gamma
which radiation is the most penetrating
gamma
which radiation is the least penetrating
alpha
what is half life
the time it takes for an activity to half
what is radiation
any particle or ray that is emitted by something
what happens to unstable nuclei
will decay to become more stable which caues radiation to be emitted
this can ionise other atoms
what is alpha radiation used for
smoke detectors
what is beta radiation used for
thickness gauge
what is gamma radiation used for
radiotherapy
sterilisation
what is radioacticity
the rate of decay in a sample of radioactive material
What is the unit for activity
Bq(becquerel)
what is the half life of an radioactive isotope
the time it takes for the number of nuclei of the isotope in a sample to halve
what is half life in terms of count rate/activity
time it takes for count rate of a sample to halve
what is count rate
the number of decays per second recorded by a detector (gigamole tube)
