physics Flashcards
what are the 3 types of radiation
alpha, beta, gamma
what is the charge of alpha
2 neutrons
2 protons
(+2)
What is radioactive decay
A neucleus emitting radiation to make it more stable
What is beta radiation, and how is it produced
single electron
produced in nuclei when a neutron changes into a proton and an electron
What is gamma radiation
gamma radiation is an electromagnetic wave
How do these radiations penatrate and ionise differently
Alpha - least penetrative (stopped by a peice of paper)
->very ionising (highest mass and charge)
Beta - goes through paper, but stopped by thin aluminium
->ionising
Gamma - can only be partially stopped by lead (goes through rest)
->weakly ionising
When an alpha particle in emmited, how does it affect the mass number and atomic number
mass number +4
atomic number +2
When an beta particle in emmited, how does it affect the mass number and atomic number
mass number stays the same
atomic number +1
WHat neucleus does an alpha particle have?
Helium
What is th mass of an alpha particle
4 x the mass of neucleon
what is the mass of a beta particle
1/2000 mass of a proton
Whats the mass of a gamma ray
massless
Describe the penetration through air of alpha, beta and gamma particles
alpha: a few cms
bta: several metres
Gamma: long range
What is ionisation?
-Ionisation is when radiation of high energy passes through matter, and can knock electrons out of atoms
-this creates free electrons and positively charged ions
What is ionisation useful for?
-detecting radiation e.g GM tubes and cloud chambers
How is ionisation pottentially damaging
can kill living cells causing mutations or possibly cancers
What is a half-life
-> Time taken for activity of a parents smaple of neuclei to half it’s original level
Different isotopes have different half lives
How do you measure half-lives?
-measure initial activity, Ao of the sample
-determine half life of this original activity
-measure how activity changes with time
number of parents neuclei half
mass of radioisotope present to reduce by half
activity of sample to reduce by half
look at worked example - save my exams
Name 5 uses of radioactivity
-Smoke detectors
-monitoring thickness of material
-sterilising food/medical equipment
Explain how smoke detectors use alpha rays
-alpha will ionise air within smoke detector, causing a current
-alpha emmiter is blocked when smoke enters detector
-alarm is triggered when sensor no longer detects alpha
What is contamination?
The accidental transfer of a radioactive substance onto or into a material
What is irradiation?
The process of exposing a material to ionising radiation, but not in contact with it
2 isotopes of the same element
Same number of protons different number of electrons
Atomic number
the number of protons in the neucleus of an atom