R6 - The Types Of Radioactivity Flashcards

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1
Q

What are the three type of ionising radiation?

A

Alpha, beta and gamma

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2
Q

What does nuclear radiation cause?

A

Ionisation - by bashing into atoms and knocking electrons off

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3
Q

What happens to atoms with no overall charge during ionisation?

A

They are turned into ions (which are charged)

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4
Q

The further the radiation can penetrate before hitting an atom and getting stopped…

A

The less damage it will do along the way so the less ionising

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5
Q

How can you detect ionising radiation?

A

Photographic film or Geiger-Muller detector

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6
Q

What are alpha particles?

A

Helium nuclei - (4H)

2

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7
Q

What are alpha particles made up of?

A

2 protons and 2 neutrons - they are big, heavy and slow moving

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8
Q

Do aloha particles penetrate far into materials?

A

No - they are stopped quickly

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9
Q

What makes alpha particles strongly ionising?

A

There size which means they bash into a lot of atoms and knock off electrons before they slow down, which creates a lot of ions

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10
Q

Why are alpha particles deflected by electric and magnetic fields?

A

They are positively electrically charged

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11
Q

What does emitting an alpha particle decrease?

A

The atomic number by 2 and the mass number by 4

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12
Q

What are beta particles?

A

Electrons - emitted when a neutron turns into a proton and an electron

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13
Q

What happens to the atomic and mass numbers in a beta particle?

A

The atomic number increase by 1 and the mass number stays the same (0 e-)
-1

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14
Q

Give 3 facts about beta particles?

A
  • They move quite fast (quite small)
  • They penetrate moderately
  • They are moderately ionising
  • They are negatively charged so deflected by an electric/magnetic field
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15
Q

What are gamma rays?

A

EM waves with a very short wave that have no mass and are just energy

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16
Q

How far can gamma rays penetrate?

A

A long way through materials without being stopped so they are weakly ionising because they tend to pass through rather than collide with atoms

17
Q

How comes gamma rays are not deflected by electric or magnetic fields?

A

They have no charge

18
Q

When do gamma emissions happen?

A

After beta or alpha decay

19
Q

Do gamma rays have an effect on atomic and mass numbers?

A

No - if a nucleus has excess energy, it looses this energy by emitting a gamma ray

20
Q

How can you identify the type of ionising radiation?

A

By its penetrating power

21
Q

Alpha particles are stopped by…

A

Paper, skin or a few centimetres of air

22
Q

Beta particles are stopped by…

A

Thin metal like aluminium

23
Q

Gamma rays are stopped by…

A

Thick lead or very thick concrete