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Nat 5 Physics > Radiation > Flashcards

Radiation Flashcards

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1
Q

Atoms are composed of

A

Protons, neutrons and electrons

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2
Q

The centre of an atom is called the

A

Nucleus

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3
Q

The nucleus of an atom contains

A

Protons and neutrons

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4
Q

The particles in orbit around the nucleus are

A

Electrons

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5
Q

Protons have a charge of

A

1+

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6
Q

Neutrons have a charge of

A

0, neutral

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7
Q

Electrons have a charge of

A

1-

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8
Q

Protons have a mass of

A

1

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9
Q

Neutrons have a mass of

A

1

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10
Q

Electrons have a mass of

A

0

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11
Q

Isotopes are

A

Atoms of the same element with a different amount of neutrons

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12
Q

Alpha radiation is

A

A helium nucleus

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13
Q

Beta radiation is

A

A fast moving electron

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14
Q

Gamma radiation is

A

An electromagnetic wave

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15
Q

Alpha radiation is absorbed by

A

A sheet of paper

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16
Q

Beta radiation is absorbed by

A

2-3 mm aluminium

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17
Q

Gamma radiation is absorbed by

A

5-6 cm lead

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18
Q

Ionisation is

A

The removal or addition of an electron from an uncharged atom

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19
Q

The strongest ionising radiation is

A

Alpha

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20
Q

The range of alpha radiation in air is

A

A few centimetres

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21
Q

The range of beta radiation in air is

A

A few meters

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22
Q

The range of gamma radiation in air is

A

Infinite

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23
Q

The activity of a radioactive source is

A

The number of nuclei that decay each second

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24
Q

The unit of activity is

A

Becquerels Bq

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25
Q

The relationship between activity, number of decays and time is

A

number of decays
Activity = ————————-
Time
N
A = —
t

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26
Q

The half-life of a radioactive source is

A

The time taken for the activity of a source to half

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27
Q

The effect of radiation on living cells is

A

To kill or damage living cells

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28
Q

The biological effect of radiation depends on three factors:

A

Absorbed dose
Type of radiation
Type of tissue absorbing the radiation

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29
Q

Absorbed dose is

A

The energy absorbed per unit mass of the absorbing material

30
Q

The unit of absorbed dose is

A

Grays Gy

31
Q

The relationship between absorbed dose, energy and mass is

A

Energy
Absorbed dose = ————
Mass

          Or

               E
       D = —
              m
32
Q

Equivalent dose is

A

A measure of the biological risk caused by radiation

33
Q

The unit of equivalent dose is

A

Sieverts Sv

34
Q

The relationship between equivalent dose, absorbed dose and radiation weighting factor is

A

Equivalent dose = absorbed dose • radiation weighting factor

                  Or
   
              H = Dwr
35
Q

Equivalent dose rate is

A

The rate at which the equivalent dose is received

36
Q

The relationship between equivalent dose rate, equivalent dose and time is

A

Equivalent dose
Equivalent dose rate = ————————-
Time

                         Or

                        .     H
                       H = —
                               t
37
Q

Sources of background radiation include

A

Radon and Thoron gas from rocks and soil
Gamma rays from the ground
Carbon and potassium in the body
Cosmic rays

38
Q

Detectors of radiation include

A

Geiger-müller tube
Spark counter
Cloud chamber
Scintillator
Film badge

39
Q

The average annual effective equivalent dose from background radiation in the uk is

A

2.2 mSv

40
Q

The annual effective equivalent dose limit for a member of the public is

A

1 mSv above background

41
Q

The annual effective equivalent dose limit for a radiation worker is

A

20 mSv above background

42
Q

Safety precautions when using radioactive sources include

A

Limit time of exposure
Store in lead lined containers
Point sources away from body (especially eyes)
Handle with tongs
Wash hands after use

43
Q

Uses of alpha radiation include

A

Smoke detectors
Killing cancerous cells

44
Q

Uses of beta radiation include

A

Monitoring the thickness of paper or thin metal sheets

45
Q

Uses of gamma radiation include

A

Radioactive tracers
Killing cancerous cells

46
Q

Nuclear fission is

A

The splitting of a large nucleus into smaller nuclei

47
Q

Nuclear fusion is

A

The joining of small nuclei to form a larger nucleus

48
Q

In a chain reaction for fission or fusion

A

The neutrons released when one nucleus splits go on to split further nuclei and the process then repeats

49
Q

Nuclear fusion takes place at

A

Extremely high temperatures

50
Q

Difficulties with maintaining nuclear fusion include

A

Plasma containment
Extracting useful heat energy from the reactions

51
Q

Disadvantages of nuclear fission include

A

Produces radioactive waste
Expensive to build nuclear power stations

52
Q

Advantages of nuclear power (fission or fusion) include

A

A lot of energy from a small amount of fuel
Does not produce any pollution

53
Q

Advantages of nuclear fusion include

A

Does not produce radioactive waste
A lot of energy from a small amount of fuel
Does not produce any pollution

54
Q

To experimentally determine the half-life of a radioactive source

A

Use a Geiger-Müller tube and counter to measure number of counts in a minute from source
Repeat this measurement at regular time intervals
Subtract the background count rate
Draw a graph of corrected count rate against time

55
Q

How does a Geiger-Müller tube work

A

Electrode in the centre of tube, high voltage applied, tube is filled with gas. Radioactive source pointed into the tube ionising the gas which creates a small brief electrical charge. These pulses can be then be counted

56
Q

How does a spark counter work

A

A fine metal gauze is mount about a millimetre away from a thin wire, a voltage is passed through them so sparking can occur. If alpha radiation is exposed between them, it will ionise the air creating a spark. These sparks can then be counted to measure the radiation. Beta and gamma can not be used with a spark counter as they produce insufficient ions for sparking to take place

57
Q

How does a cloud chamber work

A

The space inside the chamber is filled with alcohol vapour and as a particle passes through, tiny droplets of alcohol form, showing up its track

58
Q

How does a scintillator work

A

When exposed to ionisation, the material emits light when they absorb particles

59
Q

How does a film badge work

A

3 different materials covering the front side of the badge, each one can absorb the next level of radiation, I.e 1 can absorb alpha radiation, 1 can absorb beta and 1 can absorb gamma. Photographic film is placed behind this and the radiation that is encountered will appear on the film

60
Q

State one detector of gamma radiation

A

Photographic film
GM Tube

61
Q

State one source of gamma radiation

A

Stars
Some radioactive substances (e.g. Cobalt 60)

62
Q

State one use for gamma radiation.

A

Used as a tracer in medicine
Used to treat cancer
Sterilisation of operating instruments
In industry, radioactive “tracer” substances can be put into pipes and machinery, then we can detect where the substances go.
Gamma rays kill microbes, and are used to so that it will keep fresh for longer. This is known as “irradiated” food.
Checking for cracks in aeroplane wings and joints

63
Q

What are the three types of radiation?

A

alpha
beta
gamma

63
Q

What are the three types of radiation?

A

alpha
beta
gamma

64
Q

Which is the least ionising radiation?

A

Gamma

65
Q

What is meant by shielding?

A

Shielding means having something that will absorb radiation between you and the source of the radiation.

66
Q

What is meant by background radiation?

A

It is the radiation that is all around us.

67
Q

State a source of man-made background radiation.

A

1) Weapons testing

2) Waste from the Nuclear industry

3) Medical uses: Having an X-ray, CT scan, barium meal etc.

68
Q

What is the radiation weighting factor?

A

A number that takes into account the type of radiation you are exposed to.

69
Q

What is the link between the radiation weighting factor and the ionisation caused by a source?

A

The more ionisation the higher the radiation weighting factor.

Nat 5 Physics (6 decks)

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