Radioactivity

Question 1

What is an Isotope?

Answer 1

An atom with a different mass number but the same atomic number. There can be many isotopes of an atom, each with a different number of neutrons.

Question 2

What happens when more neutrons are added to an atom?

Answer 2

The nucleus gets bigger

Question 3

What happens when the nucleus gets too big?

Answer 3

The repulsion of the protons can overcome the strong nuclear force, causing some particles to split away from the nucleus of the atom.

Question 4

What is nuclear decay?

Answer 4

When an atom releases a huge amount of energy in the form of alpha, beta particles or gamma radiation

Question 5

What are radioisotopes?

Answer 5

Isotopes that undergo nuclear decay

Question 6

What does alpha decay cause?

Answer 6

Causes the nucleus to eject an alpha particle

Question 7

What is an alpha particle?

Answer 7

A particle with 2 protons and 2 neutrons, identical to a helium atom

Question 8

What happens during alpha decay?

Answer 8

The original atom loses protons, meaning that when the alpha particle is ejected, two new atoms are formed as a result of this nuclear decay

Question 9

How does beta decay occur?

Answer 9

When the nucleus ejects a beta particle

Question 10

What is a beta particle?

Answer 10

It is identical to an electron, very small, light and negatively charged

Question 11

What happens during beta decay?

Answer 11

A neutron is converted to a proton in the nucleus. This means the number of protons (and the atomic number) increases by 1.

Question 12

What does Gamma decay involve?

Answer 12

Existing particles rearranging into new positions

Question 13

When Gamma decay happens what is released?

Answer 13

Gamma radiation ( extremely powerful and can cause significant harm to living things)

Question 14

What is the nucleus called after decaying?

Answer 14

A daughter nucleus

Question 15

What is the speed of an Alpha particle?

Answer 15

10% speed of light

Question 16

What is the speed of a Beta particle?

Answer 16

90% speed of light

Question 17

What is the speed of Gamma rays?

Answer 17

Speed of light

Question 18

What sort of particle is an alpha particle?

Answer 18

Helium nucleus

Question 19

What sort of particle is a Beta particle?

Answer 19

Electron

Question 20

What sort of particle are Gamma rays?

Answer 20

None (very high energy radiation)

Question 21

What is the charge of an alpha particle?

Answer 21

+2

Question 22

What is the charge of a Beta particle

Answer 22

-1

Question 23

What is the charge of Gamma rays?

Answer 23

0

Question 24

What can an alpha particle be stopped by?

Answer 24

A layer of dead skin or paper

Question 25

What can a beta particle be stopped by?

Answer 25

1mm sheet of aluminum

Question 26

What can Gamma rays be stopped by?

Answer 26

A thick slab(many cm thick) of concrete or lead

Question 27

Why can alpha radiation be blocked quite easily?

Answer 27

Because the particles are large and slow

Question 28

Can alpha radiation be deadly if breathed in?

Answer 28

Yes

Question 29

What can Beta particles cause?

Answer 29

Radiation burns

Question 30

What is Gamma radiation a form of?

Answer 30

Electromagnetic radiation

Question 31

What can Gamma radiation cause?

Answer 31

Causes cells to mutate, damaging cells and can cause cancer

Question 32

Why do some elements on the periodic table have their mass number in brackets?

Answer 32

It is the mass of the longest-lived isotope. This tells us that the atoms of these elements are unstable, likely because of their huge nucleus.

Question 33

Who first coined the word 'radioactivity'?

Answer 33

Marie Curie

Question 34

Who discovered two types of radiation - that of alpha and beta decay?

Answer 34

Ernest Rutherford

Question 35

What does radiology involve?

Answer 35

The use of high-energy radiation directed at cancer cells to kill them

Question 36

What does nuclear imaging involve?

Answer 36

The patient is injected with radioisotopes, which are distributed around the body and emit small amounts of gamma radiation which are detected to show the organ structure of the body