Unit 2 physics

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Alpha
A highly energetic helium nucleus, containing 2 protons and 2 neutrons VERY IONISING, LOW PENITRATION. charge = +2
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Beta
Particle - A highly energetic electron, released from inside a nucleus. .Charge = -1
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Gamma
Wave - from the high frequency end of the electromagnetic spectrum. Waves have no mass. WEAKLY IONISING. VERY PENETRATING. NO charge
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Radioactive decay
Unstable nuclei split up in a process called radioactive decay and emit radioactive radiation.
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Background radiation
Is around us all the time from radioactive substances in the environment, or from space, or devices.
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what radiation is stopped by paper?
alpha radiation
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what radiation is stopped by lead?
gamma radiation
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Half life
the half life of a radioactive isotope is the average time it takes for the number of nuclei in a sample to halve
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what are beta sources used for?
beta is used for thickness monitoring in the maufacture of things. This source needs a half life of many years. beta can also be used as tracers in medicine, it can be placed into the patient and detected outside the patient.
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Radioactive dating
is used to find the age of acient material.
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Carbon dating
is used to find the age of wood and other organic material
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uranium dating
is used to find the age of igneous rocks
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what is the effect of pressure on radioactive decay?
it has no effect
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What was Rutherford's alpha particle scattering experiment?
firing alpha particles into thin metal foil
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what happens to the mass number of a nucleus when it emits an alpha particle?
it goes up by 4
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Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

Beta

Back

Particle - A highly energetic electron, released from inside a nucleus. .Charge = -1

Card 3

Front

Gamma

Back

Preview of the front of card 3

Card 4

Front

Radioactive decay

Back

Preview of the front of card 4

Card 5

Front

Background radiation

Back

Preview of the front of card 5
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