| protons and neutrons of an alpha particle | 2 protons, 2 neutrons, similar to a helium nucleus |
| work out | 237, 93 |
| work out | 131, 54 |
| what is half life | the time it takes for the number of nuclei in a radioactive isotope to half |
| solve | 25 counts/s |
| what is irradiation | exposing an object to nuclear radiation |
| why do people dealing with ionising radiation have to take more precaution | ionising radiation can increase the chance of mutating cells and causing cancer |
| what is radioactive contamination | when unwanted radioactive isotopes end up on or in other materials, hazardous as radioactive isotopes decay and emit ionising radiation |
| what is the most ionising radiation | alpha, it is strongly ionising but easily stopped by dead cells on surface of the skin, very dangerous if inhaled or swallowed |
| what other radiation is ionising | beta, can penetrate though skin and body |
| which radiation is least ionising | gamma radiation, passes straight through body cells so theses a less chance of ionising and cell mutation |
