radioactivity Flashcards
(20 cards)
what is an isotpoe
an isotope is an atom with a different number of neutrons but same number of protons
3 types of nuclear radiation
alpha, beta, gamma
what is an alpha particle
consisting of 2 protons and 2 neutrons
what is a beta particle
a high speed electron
what is a gamma wave
very high frequency/energy electromagnetic waves
what is ionisation
when radiation of high energy passes through, it can knock electrons out of atoms, creating free electrons and positively charged ions
what is ionisation useful for
detecting radiation
what is activity
the number of nuclei decaying per second
what is activity measured in
Becquerels (bq)
what is half life
half life is the average amount of time it takes for the activity of a sample to reduce half of its previous value
dangers of radioactivity
irradiation, contamination
what is irradiation
irradiation from radioactive decay can damage living cells (does not make the object radioactive)
what is contamination
contamination occurs if an object has a radioactive material in it (can be radioactive)
how can we detect radiation
using geiger-muller tube
penetrate
go into or through something
what number is the atomic number
bottom number
what number is the mass number
top number
how are the numbers placed in a beta decay equation
in a beta equation the mass number stays the same and the atomic number increases by 1
how are the numbers placed in a alpha decay equation
in an alpha equation the mass number decreases by 4 and the atomic number decreases by 2
how are the numbers placed in a gamma decay equation
in a gamma equation both the numbers are 0
