Radiation Flashcards
What is nuclear radiation?
Nuclear radiation is radiating physical particles and gamma
What are the three types of nuclear radiation?
Alpha decay, Beta decay, Gamma radiation.
What is an alpha particle made up of ?
Made of 2 protons and 2 neutrons
What happens to an atom when it releases alpha decay?
The nucleus loses 2 protons and neutrons
Why do atoms emit alpha decay?
To become stable
What happens when an alpha particle touches something?
It rips electrons from it (It is ionising)
Why do only some elements undergo radioactivity?
Because some elements are more stable due to distance between shells and rings
What is a beta particle?
A high speed electron
What is beta decay?
When an atom has too many neutrons compared to protons, a neutron splits into a proton which instantly emits a beta particle (high speed electron) from the nucleus
What is the mass and charge of a beta particle?
Mass of effectively 0 and a charge of -1
What is gamma radiation?
An electromagnetic wave released from an unstable nucleus with an alpha or beta particle. Gamma is a release of excess energy from the nucleus
Can alpha and beta radiation be released from the same nucleus?
No
What does ionising mean?
When radiation collides with neutral atoms, it alters their structure by removing electrons, leaving behind ions.
Why are alpha particles ionising?
Strong positive charge attracts electrons and pulls them off their atom through attraction.
Why are beta particles ionising?
Their velocity is high enough to physically knock electrons off their atoms
