types of radiation Flashcards
what is alpha equivalent to
to a helium nucleus 4 he
2
what is gamma equivalent to
em wave
what is beta equivalent to
fast moving electron
what is the mass number
the number of protons and nutrons
what is the atomic number
is the number of protons
what is an isotope
Isotopes of the same element have equal numbers of protons but different numbers of neutrons in their nuclei.
why does radioactive decay occur
Radioactive decay occurs due to an imbalance between the number of protons and neutrons in a nucleus.
what kind of process is radioactive decay
it is a random process
what must you do when taking measurement of radioactive decay?
The random nature of radioactive decay must be considered when taking measurements. For example, when measuring the number of nuclei that decay in a minute in a given sample, random fluctuations in the rate can cause the data to vary. This means it is important when measuring radioactive decay to take repeat readings and calculate a mean.
what are the two ways of improving the method of the counts per rate
Measure the rate over a longer time such as 10 minute and divide the count by the number of minutes to calculate the counts per minute.
Repeat the experiment and calculate a mean number of counts per minutes
at are counts per second measured in
becquerels
where does background radiation come from
radon gas
rocks
buildings
food
cosmic radiation
medicine
nuclear power and testing.
why can background radiation vary in some places than others
Some rocks, such as granite, contain some radioactive isotopes. As the elements in the rocks decay, radon gas is formed which then moves up through the ground. The amount of radon in the air depends on the type of rocks below the ground and therefore, the reading can vary from place to place.
are there any other types of radiation
yes there is some radiations isotopes in common elements in food and materials used in buildings
where does cosmic radiation come from
Cosmic radiation travels through the atmosphere from space. This means background radiation will vary with altitude as there is more cosmic radiation at higher altitudes.
how do other sources produce radiation
artificial sources contribute much less to background radiation. The largest source of artificial background radiation comes from the medical sector due to X-rays and radiotherapy. Only a very small amount is due to nuclear power and testing.
where does most background radiation come from
Most background radiation comes from natural sources.
why do we need to store ionising radiation really well
Nuclear power stations and nuclear medicine produce radioactive waste materials, some of which remain radioactive for thousands of years. As these waste materials can emit a mixture of different types of ionising radiation, it is important to store them safely.
what is one solution to store ionising radiation
One solution is storing these materials underground. The waste is stored in drums and then sealed with concrete to ensure that no radiation can penetrate and affect any living cells. Even then, they must still be monitored to ensure that there is no leakage. As the half-life of these materials can be very long, storing and monitoring can be expensive.
subtraction of how you must find the radiation of only one source
For example, a rate of 24.0 Bq is measured when a sample is placed in front of a Geiger-Muller counter. If the level of background radiation is 2.5 Bq, this must be subtracted from the measured rate to calculate the rate of the source alone. The rate from this source is 24.0 – 2.5 = 21.5 Bq.
seconds and minutes
if it says minutes then keep it in minutes reeeeeeeeeead the question.
how penetrating is alpha
alpha is the least penetrating
it can be stopped by a thin sheet of paper
how penetrating is beta
beta has medium penetrating properties it can be stopped by aluminium
how penetrating is gamma
gamma is the most penetrating the em wave can just be slowed down thick block of lead
can a source only produce one type of radiation
Many sources emit a combination of different types of radiation.
what is the difference between a helium atom and an alpha nucleus
helium atom has electrons
