Radioactivity

Question 1

Explain the random process of radioactive decay.

Answer 1

The nuclei of unstable isotopes break down at random. If you have 1000 unstable nuclei , you can’t say when anyone of them us going to decay and you can’t do anything at all to make a decay happen.

Question 2

Describe how the nucleus decays.

Answer 2

Each nucleus just decays quite spontaneously in its own good time. It’s completely unaffected by physical conditions like temperature or by any sort of chemical bonding etc.

Question 3

What happens when the nucleus decays?

Answer 3

When the nucleus does decay it spits out one or more types of radiation - alpha, beta, gamma or neutrons.

Question 4

During the process of radioactive decay, what change happens?

Answer 4

In the process, the nucleus often changes into a new element

Question 5

What can radioactivity come from?

Answer 5

Air, food, building materials soil, rocks

Question 6

Where does radiation from space mostly come from

Answer 6

The sun

Question 7

How does nuclear radiation cause ionisation?

Answer 7

By bashing into atoms and knocking electrons off them. Atoms (with no overall)

Question 8

What is the pattern of ionisation?

Answer 8

The further the radiation can penetrate before hitting an atom and getting stopped, the less damage it will do along the way and so the less ionising it is.