Radioactivity

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  • Created by: LM
  • Created on: 23-04-13 18:34
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  • Radioactivity
    • Some isotopes (that are not on the periodic table) are unstable, this means that they slowly decay creating radioactive particles.
    • There are three types of radiation:  alpha (?), beta(?) and gamma(?) which all come from the nucleus.
      • Alpha Particle
        • Is a helium nucleus (with out the electrons)
      • Beta Particle
      • Gamma Particle
        • No mass, no charge, made of electromagnetic radiation, energy.
    • Ionisation
      • Ionisation is when radiation particles ?,?,? can cause an electron out of an atom and so turning that atom into an ion.
    • To test for radioactivity you use a Geiger-Müller tube connected to a count meter
      • you can measure radiation in counts per minute (cpm) or in counts per second (cps also known as becquerel -Bq)
    • Half-Life: is the average time it takes for half of the unstable nucleus to decay
      • The half-life of a substance is the time it takes for half of the substance to decay
        • For example, if we start with an element that has four atoms, in an hour 2 of them have decayed and in an other hour 1 more has decayed meaning the half life of that element is 1 hour.
          • Half-Life: is the average time it takes for half of the unstable nucleus to decay
            • The half-life of a substance is the time it takes for half of the substance to decay
              • For example, if we start with an element that has four atoms, in an hour 2 of them have decayed and in an other hour 1 more has decayed meaning the half life of that element is 1 hour.

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