P2 6.6 Radioactivity at Work
- Created by: kayleigh_p
- Created on: 12-04-15 12:07
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- Radioactivity at Work
- Alpha sources
- Used in smoke alarms
- Alpha particles are not dangerous as they are very poorly penetrating
- Source needs a half-life of several years
- Beta sources
- Used for thickness monitoring in the manufacture of different materials
- Paper
- Metal foil
- Need a half life of many years, so that decreases in count rate are due to changes in the thickness of the paper
- Used for thickness monitoring in the manufacture of different materials
- Gamma and beta sources
- Used as tracers in medicine
- Injected or swallowed by the patient
- Progress around the body is monitored by a detector
- Needs a half-life of a few hours so that the patient is not exposed to unnecessary radioactivity
- Used as tracers in medicine
- Radioactive dating
- Used to find the age of ancient material
- Carbon dating is used to find the age of wood and other organic material
- Uranium dating is used to find the age of igneous rocks
- Alpha sources
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