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Radioactivity

This document discusses different types of radioactivity including alpha, beta, and gamma radiation. It defines key terms like half-life and describes different types of radioactive decay such as alpha decay, beta decay, gamma decay, nuclear fission, and nuclear fusion. The summary at the end notes that while gamma rays can be dangerous, they are also helpful in cancer treatment by killing cancer cells.

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Kailey Tate
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83 views11 pages

Radioactivity

This document discusses different types of radioactivity including alpha, beta, and gamma radiation. It defines key terms like half-life and describes different types of radioactive decay such as alpha decay, beta decay, gamma decay, nuclear fission, and nuclear fusion. The summary at the end notes that while gamma rays can be dangerous, they are also helpful in cancer treatment by killing cancer cells.

Uploaded by

Kailey Tate
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Radioactivity Definition
• As its name implies, radioactivity is the act of emitting radiation
spontaneously.
• This is done by an atomic nucleus that, for some reason, is unstable; it
"wants" to give up some energy in order to shift to a more stable
configuration.
Alpha
• Alpha decay is a type of radioactive disintegration in which some
unstable atomic nuclei which spreads excess energy by spontaneously
ejecting an alpha particle.
• Alpha particles have two positive charges and a mass of four units.
• They emit from nuclei produces a daughter nuclei having a positive
nuclear charge or atomic number.
• Two units less than their parents and a mass of four units less.
Beta
• Beta particles are just electrons from the nucleus, the term "beta
particle" being an historical term used in the early description of
radioactivity.
• The emission of the electron's antiparticle, is also called beta decay.
• Beta decay can be seen as the decay of one of the neutrons to a
proton it’s like the weak interaction.
Gamma
• Gamma decay is one type of radioactive decay that a nucleus can
undergo.
• In order for a nucleus to undergo gamma decay, it must be in some
sort of excited energetic state
Half-Life
• Half-life is the length of time it takes for half of the radioactive atoms
of a specific radionuclide to decay.
• Half-lives for beta decay range upward from one-hundredth of a
second
Nuclear Fission
• Nucleus fissions splits into several smaller fragments
• The fragments/fission products, are about equal to half the original
mass.
• Two or three neutrons are also emitted.
Nuclear Fusion
• Nuclear Fusion reactions power the Sun and other stars.
• In a fusion reaction, two light nuclei merge to form a single heavier
nucleus.
My Summary
• I learned that radioactivity could have different types of radiation.
Gamma rays can be dangerous but also helpful to the sick people, for
instanced people that has cancer, gamma rays can kill cancer cells, but
it could also kill cells that don’t need to be killed.
Cited Sources
• https://ehss.energy.gov/ohre/roadmap/achre/intro_9_2.html#:~:text
=As%20its%20name%20implies%2C%20radioactivity,to%20a%20more
%20stable%20configuration
.
• https://www.britannica.com/science/alpha-decay
• http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/Nuclear/beta.html
• https://energyeducation.ca/encyclopedia/Gamma_decay
• https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/radiation/isotopes.html#:~:text=Half%2Dli
fe%20is%20the%20length,the%20original%20amount%20of%20radia
tion
.
Cited Sources
• https://www.atomicarchive.com/science/fission/index.html

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