Embedded Files
objectives
objectives
- State the meaning of the term Radioactive Decay
- Use the term Half-Life in simple calculations which may involve information in tables or delay curves
- Describe the detection of ɑ-particles, β-particles and 𝛄-rays
starter activity
starter activity
Complete the following nuclide notation equations
Detection of Radiation
Detection of Radiation
Detection of Ionising Radiation is done with a Geiger-Muller Tube
When alpha, beta or gamma radiation enters the tube it produces ions in the gas. The ions created in the gas enable the tube to conduct. A current is produced in the tube for a short time. The current produces a voltage pulse. Each voltage pulse corresponds to one ionising radiation entering the GM tube. The voltage pulse is amplified and counted.
Detection of Radiation - Becquerels
Detection of Radiation - Becquerels
To get a proper indication of how radioactive a substance is, the number of disintegrations per second, or the count rate is measured.
The count rate is often called the Activity and is given by the number of counts or disintegrations per second.
Activity is measured in units called Becquerels (Bq) named after Henri Becquerel the French scientist who shared the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1903 with his students - Marie and Pierre Curie.
Radioactive Decay
Radioactive Decay
In this first picture you can see it takes ten days for half the atoms to decay from 8 to 4
It then takes another ten days to decay from 4 to 2
If we tabulate this you can see that at every ten days half the nuclei remained - this idea is called the half-life
They show a highly characteristic gradient when drawn on a graph - this is known as a decay curve
Half Life Exam questions
Half Life Exam questions
Answer the above question and check your answer using the walkthrough below
Page updated
Report abuse