radiation

Question 1

how does radiation travel?

Answer 1

in straight lines through air

Question 2

how far does radiation travel?

Answer 2

a few cm in air

Question 3

when does radiation occur?

Answer 3

at random times

Question 4

what do we use to measure radiation?

Answer 4

a geiger counter

Question 5

what causes ionisation?

Answer 5

when radiation hits atoms within DNA

Question 6

what can ionisation cause?

Answer 6

cancer

Question 7

what does a geiger counter measure?

Answer 7

how many radioactive decays occur

Question 8

what are the three main types of radiation?

Answer 8

alpha (A)
beta (B)
gamma (Y)

Question 9

what are some safety precautions to take whilst doing a radiation experiment?

Answer 9

-wear goggles
-wear gloves
-use tweesers
-do not point the radioactive material at anyone
-use a source holder

Question 10

how far can alpha radiation travel?

Answer 10

a fem cm in air

Question 11

what is alpha radiation caused by?

Answer 11

alpha particle- 2 protons and 2 neutrons

Question 12

what is beta radiation caused by?

Answer 12

fast moving electron

Question 13

what type of radiation is gamma?

Answer 13

a beam of light

Question 14

how far can beta radiation travel?

Answer 14

a few m in air

Question 15

how far can gamma radiation travel?

Answer 15

infinitely far

Question 16

what can stop alpha radiation?

Answer 16

a piece of paper

Question 17

what can stop beta radiation?

Answer 17

alluminium

Question 18

what can stop gamma radiation?

Answer 18

lead stops it mostly

Question 19

what is dosage?

Answer 19

the amount of radiation we absorb

Question 20

in order from most to least- what radiation causes the most ionisation? (damage)

Answer 20

alpha
beta
gamma

Question 21

what is ionisation?

Answer 21

removing an electron

Question 22

what causes radiation to be given off?

Answer 22

when an atom has too many protons or neutrons it will fall apart and give off radiation

Question 23

radioactive decay is…

Answer 23

random- there is no way of telling when an atom will decay

Question 24

what is half-life?

Answer 24

the time it takes for half of a substances atoms to decay

Question 25

the shorter the half life...

Answer 25

the more unstable an element is

Question 26

what is the mass number?

Answer 26

the protons and the neutrons (the larger number)

Question 27

what is the atomic number?

Answer 27

the number of protons (smaller number)

Question 28

what is an isotope?

Answer 28

an element with a different number of neutrons to protons

Question 29

what happens in alpha decay?

Answer 29

2 protons and two neutrons are emitted

Question 30

what happens in beta decay?

Answer 30

a neutron turns into a proton and an electron is emitted

Question 31

what happens in gamma decay?

Answer 31

a high energy electromagnetic wave is emitted

Question 32

alpha decay symbol used:

Answer 32

4 He 2

Question 33

beta decay symbol used:

Answer 33

0 e -1

Question 34

what is the atomic number of an electron?

Answer 34

-1

Question 35

what can alpha radiation be used for?

Answer 35

smoke detectors

Question 36

what can gamma radiation be used for and why is it used for this?

Answer 36

-cancer treatment/ radio therapy -sterilising medical equipment because gamma radiation is good at killing cells

Question 37

when isotopes decay what can they emit?

Answer 37

radiation such as alpha, beta or gamma radiation

Question 38

where does beta radiation come from?

Answer 38

when a neutron decays into a proton and an electron

Question 39

what does an alpha particle consist of?

Answer 39

2 protons and 2 neutrons

Question 40

in order which radiation is most to least ionising?

Answer 40

alpha beta gamma

Question 41

what does a radioactive material have?

Answer 41

unstable isotopes

Question 42

when is an object irridated?

Answer 42

when it is exposed to nuclear radiation

Question 43

if a living organism is irridiated what can happen?

Answer 43

it's DNA can become damaged

Question 44

how could you reduce the danger of irridation?

Answer 44

by keeping radioactive materials in lead lined boxes or by using barriers you could also reduce the amount of time exposed to the radioactive material

Question 45

does an irridiated object become radioactive?

Answer 45

no

Question 46

when does an object become contaminated?

Answer 46

when radioactive material gets onto it

Question 47

can a contaminated object become radioactive?

Answer 47

yes- because the contaminating atoms decay and release radiation

Question 48

what can lower the risk of contamination?

Answer 48

wearing a mask and gloves and other protective clothing- you could even use tweezers to pick up the radioactive material

Question 49

why is irridation from beta and gamma much more harmful than irrdiation from alpha?

Answer 49

because beta and gamma can penetrate much further into materials such as the body- it's less dangerous to be irridated by alpha radiation because it can easily be stopped using barriers and it only travels a few cm in air

Question 50

why is it more dangerous to be contaminated by alpha radiation?

Answer 50

because alpha radiation is the most ionising and can do the most damage to your cells

Question 51

what is the difference between irridation and contaminated?

Answer 51

irridation is caused by indirect exposure whereas contamination is caused by direct exposure by touching