Radiation Types

Question 1

What is contained in the nucleus of all atoms?

Answer 1

Protons and neutrons

Question 2

12
C. Which is the proton number and
6. Which is the nucleon number?

Answer 2

Nucleon number = 12
Proton number =6

Question 3

What is a nucleon number?

Answer 3

The number of protons and neutrons

Question 4

What is the proton number?

Answer 4

Number of protons

Question 5

What decides the element?

Answer 5

The number of protons

Question 6

what is an isotope?

Answer 6

When an element’s nucleon number different, but the proton number is the same (I.e. there is a difference in the number of neutrons, but not protons).

Question 7

What are the three types of radiation produced by radioactive decay?

Answer 7

Alpha, beta, gamma

Question 8

How can alpha radiation be written?

Answer 8

4
He or α
2

Question 9

Describe alpha radiation

Answer 9

Helium nucleus.
Low penetration power (Absorbed by paper).
Low danger outside the body - not very penetrating.
High danger inside the body - very ionising.

Question 10

How can beta radiation be written?

Answer 10

0
e or β
-1

Question 11

Describe beta radiation.

Answer 11

High energy electron.
Medium penetration (Absorbed by aluminium)
Medium danger outside and inside the body.

Question 12

How can gamma radiation be written?

Answer 12

γ

Question 13

Describe gamma radiation.

Answer 13

An electromagnetic wave.
High penetration (Reduced by thick lead).
High danger outside the body - very penetrating.
Low danger inside the body - not very ionising.

Question 14

What does a decay equation represent?

Answer 14

Radioactive decay.

Question 15

What happens to the total nucleon and proton number in a decay equation?

Answer 15

Stays the same

Question 16

226
Ra (Alpha decay)
88

Answer 16

226 222 4
Ra -> Ra + α
88 86 2

Question 17

What causes an atom to be unstable?

Answer 17

Unbalanced protons and neutrons

Question 18

What do unstable atoms try to do?

Answer 18

Become more stable by releasing some radiation (This is decaying).

Question 19

How do you predict decay?

Answer 19

You don’t - its random, but you can estimate.

Question 20

How do you take measurements of decay?

Answer 20

With a Geiger-Muller tube, either over a long period or repeated due to random fluctuations.

Question 21

How do you test penetration power?

Answer 21

-O ¦¦========()……………….|0|
Source Absorber Detector Counter

Question 22

What stops alpha radiation?

Answer 22

Paper or a small gap of air.

Question 23

What stops beta radiation?

Answer 23

Aluminium.

Question 24

What stops gamma radiation?

Answer 24

Nothing. But lead stops some of it.

Question 25

What needs to be taken into account when measuring radiation?

Answer 25

Background radiation.

Question 26

What is important about background radation?

Answer 26

It is constant and due to both natural and man-made sources.

Question 27

What are sources of background radiation?

Answer 27

Natural (Radon - a gas formed in subsurface rocks, rocks and buildings, food, cosmic rays.)
Manmade (Medicine - E.g. x-rays, nuclear power an testing - ~1%).

Question 28

What is the level of background radiation?

Answer 28

Don’t know, varies.

Question 29

What causes background radiation to differ?

Answer 29

Different rocks, building types, and height above sea level (Cosmic rays)