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Homework 01 Nuclear radiation & its biological effects

http://www.s-cool.co.uk/topic_ uicklearn.asp! loc" l&topic_id"#& uicklearn_id"$&sub%ect_id"1&&ebt"$1'&ebn"&ebs"&ebl"&elc"( http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesi)e/ph*sics/radioacti+it*/backgroundradiationre+1.shtml

Read through the information below, then for each of the 10 questions Write the letter (A, B, C or D with the correct statement into !our homewor" boo"

#onising radiation
$%ra!s, gamma ra!s, al&ha &articles and beta &articles can all be described as ionising radiation. -hen the* collide with neutral atoms or molecules, these can become charged or ionised. #onisation of D'A molecules in li(ing cells, can cause cancer. .onised /N0 can no longer control cell di+ision 1 cells di+ide again and again until a cancerous tumour forms 0lpha, beta and gamma particles can be distinguished b* their abilit* to ionise atoms and molecules, and also b* their abilit* to penetrate materials 1

al&ha
increasingl* ionising

beta
increasingl* penetrating

gamma
2he following diagram shows what is needed to absorb the different t*pes of nuclear radiation 1
0lpha radiation 4eta radiation 5amma radiation
6topped b* paper 6topped b* aluminium 6topped b* thick lead

)a&er
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Aluminium

*ead

Bac"ground radiation
-e are continuall* e7posed to low le+els of radiation from natural sources, and from the result of human acti+ities. 6ources of this 8background radiation9 are 1 cosmic ra!s from the sun :these are partiall* absorbed b* the atmosphere 1 we are less protected at higher altitudes; some roc"s :eg. granite; contain uranium which deca*s to release radioacti+e radon gas, and also gamma ra*s our food medical techniques

Detecting radiation
<adioacti+e sources gi+e out radiation all the time, so the* must be stored +er* carefull*. .n schools, the* are stored in lead-lined containers, because lead is +er* dense and absorbs most of the radiation emitted. 0 .eiger counter is used to detect radiation from a radioacti+e source. 2he 5eiger counter consists of a tube of argon gas. =ach time an argon atom is ionised, a pulse of current flows around a circuit and increases the reading on a counter

Biological effects of ionising radiation

dose high :eg. accident; 1 whole bod* e7posed high 1 to limited area of skin low short term death reddening no effect long term > possible cancer possible cancer

Al&ha &articles cause us no harm when the* are outside the bod*, because the* can9t penetrate our outer la*ers of dead skin. .f the* are taken inside the bod* :eg. into the lungs;, the* can be +er* damaging. Beta &articles and gamma ra!s are more harmful, because the* can penetrate the skin.

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/1 A 0 #onising radiation collides with neutral atoms or molecules, and these can then become charged or ionised1 Al&ha &articles, beta &articles and gamma ra!s are all ionising B 0 When radiation collides with ions, it is called ionising radiation C 0 Al&ha &articles, beta &articles and gamma ra!s are all ionising, because the! all collide with atoms, which then form ions1 ,icrowa(es are also strongl! ionising D 0 Radio wa(es and infrared are both ionising radiation1 +he! are both more dangerous to our health than gamma ra!s /2 A 0 When D'A molecules in li(ing cells become ionised, the! sto& the cells di(iding1 +his can lead to cancer B 0 When D'A is caused to di(ide in a controlled wa!, a cancerous tumour starts to form C 0 When D'A molecules are &re(ented from ionising, cancer ma! result D 0 When D'A molecules in li(ing cells become ionised, the! cause the cells to di(ide, uncontrollabl!1 3ncontrolled cell di(ision &roduces a cancerous tumour /4 A 0 Al&ha &articles, beta &articles and gamma ra!s are all ionising to +he same e5tent B 0 Beta &articles are most ionising, followed b! al&ha &articles, with gamma ra!s being the least ionising C 0 Al&ha &articles, beta &articles and gamma ra!s are all ionising to different e5tents1 Al&ha &articles are most ionising, followed b! beta &articles, with gamma ra!s being the least ionising D 0 Beta &articles are most ionising, followed b! gamma ra!s, with al&ha &articles being the least ionising /6 A > Al&ha &articles, beta &articles and gamma ra!s all &enetrate materials to the same e5tent B 0 Al&ha &articles, beta &articles and gamma ra!s all &enetrate materials to different e5tents1 .amma ra!s are most &enetrating, followed b! beta &articles, with al&ha &articles being the least &enetrating C 0 .amma ra!s are most &enetrating, followed b! al&ha &articles, with beta &articles being the least &enetrating D 0 Al&ha &articles are most &enetrating, followed b! gamma ra!s, with beta &articles being the least &enetrating /7 A 0 Al&ha &articles can be absorbed b! a thin sheet of &a&er, beta &articles b! a few millimetres of aluminium, and gamma ra!s b! man! centimetres of lead B 0 Al&ha &articles can be absorbed b! a thin sheet of aluminium, beta &articles b! a few millimetres of &a&er, and gamma ra!s b! man! centimetres of lead C 0 Al&ha &articles can be absorbed b! a thin sheet of &a&er, beta &articles b! a few millimetres of lead, and gamma ra!s b! man! centimetres of aluminium D 0 *ead will absorb most t!&es of radiation, a&art from gamma ra!s

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/8 A 0 Bac"ground radiation is entirel! due to human acti(ities B 0 We are continuall! e5&osed to low le(els of radiation from natural sources, and from the result of human acti(ities1 +his radiation is called 9bac"ground radiation: C 0 Bac"ground radiation is entirel! due to natural radioacti(e sources D 0 We are continuall! e5&osed to high le(els of radiation, which result from human acti(ities /; A 0 Bac"ground radiation can come from the sun in the form of ra!s of (isible light, from some roc"s (eg1 granite , from our food and also from the use of modern medical techniques B 0 Bac"ground radiation can come from the sun in the form of cosmic ra!s, from some roc"s (eg1 limestone , from our food and also from the use of modern medical techniques C 0 Bac"ground radiation can come from the sun in the form of cosmic ra!s, from some roc"s (eg1 granite , from our food and also from the use of modern medical techniques D 0 Bac"ground radiation can come from the sun in the form of cosmic ra!s, from some roc"s (eg1 granite , from our food and also from the use of out%dated medical techniques /< A 0 Radioacti(e sources are stored in a &a&er%lined containers, because &a&er absorbs most of the radiation emitted B 0 #n a school, a radioacti(e source will be stored in an aluminium%lined container, because lead absorbs most of the radiation emitted C 0 Radiation must be stored carefull!, but a lea" will be detected b! either an ammeter, or a (oltmeter D 0 #n a school, a radioacti(e source will be stored in a lead%lined container, because lead absorbs most of the radiation emitted1 +o detect radiation, we use a .eiger counter /= A 0 >5&osing the whole bod! to a high dose of radiation, will result in a nast! headache B 0 >5&osing the whole bod! to a high dose of radiation, will result in death1 A high dose to a limited area of s"in, will cause reddening similar to sunburn, with the &ossibilit! of cancer in the longer term C 0 >5&osing the whole bod! to a high dose of radiation, will result in death1 A high dose to a limited area of s"in, will cause nothing worse than tem&orar! sunburn D 0 Cancer will result from e(en the smallest e5&osure to nuclear radiation /10 A 0 Beta &articles don:t &enetrate the outer la!ers of dead s"in, but can be (er! damaging if ta"en inside the bod! B 0 Al&ha &articles are the most dangerous, as the! are most &enetrating C 0 Al&ha &articles don:t &enetrate the outer la!ers of dead s"in, but can be (er! damaging if ta"en inside the bod!1 Beta &articles and gamma ra!s are more dangerous, because the! are more &enetrating D 0 .amma ra!s don:t &enetrate the outer la!ers of dead s"in, and so are the safest t!&e of radiation

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Ionise radiation: Its a radiation made up of partials that individually carry kinetic energy, when all this energy touches or bounces with neutral molecules or atoms they become ionized. Ionizing radiation is mostly common by nuclear reactions either natural or artificial by extreme temperatures. Some good examples of ionizing radiation are:

Ultraviolet light
X-rays Gamma-rays Radioactive decay's particles Cosmic rays Alpha rays Beta rays Medical imaging equipment Ionization of food Sterilization of medical tools Nuclear power production Metal mining can result in exposure to ionizing radiation Coal mining and power production from coal Nuclear weapons Galactic Cosmic Radiation (to which astronauts are exposed) Solar Particle Event radiation (to which astronauts may be exposed) Natural background radiation Radiation therapy for specific forms of cancer Radon CT scans Nuclear medical scans X-Rays Airport security scanners (in extremely high usage) http://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples/examples-of-radiation.html

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