vet-tech-chem-ch-9-nuclear-radiation

• how active in giving off radiation a substance is
• analogy - how hard is it raining

• a nuclear particle identical to a helium nucleus (2 protons & 2 neutrons)
• released through alpha decay

a unit of activity of a radioactive sample equal to one disintegration per second

• a particle identical to an electron that forms in the nucleus when a neutron changes to a proton and an electron
• released through beta decay

• a technique used to date ancient specimens that contain carbon
• the age is determined by the amount of active carbon-14 that remains in the sample

• a fission reaction that will continue once it has been initiated by a high-energy neutron bombarding a heavy nucleus such as U-235
• a sustained nuclear reaction

• a unit of the activity of a radioactive sample equal to 3.7 x 10**10 disintegrations per second
• amount of radiation emitted from 1 gram of radium in 1 s
• 3.7 x 10**10 Becquerel

a diagram of the decay of a radioactive element

the measure of biological damage from an absorbed dose that has been adjusted for the type of radiation

• a process in which large nuclei are split into smaller pieces, releasing large amounts of energy
• when a nucleus splits to form smaller nuclei
• takes place in power plants
• takes place in some nuclear devices

• a reaction in which large amounts of energy are released when small nuclei combine to form larger nuclei
• when nuclei are joined to form larger nuclei
• takes place in stars & our sun

high-energy radiation emitted by an unstable nucleus

a unit of absorbed dose equal to 100 rad

• the length of time it takes for one-half of a radioactive sample to decay
• the more radioactive the sample, the shorter the half-life

• TT - total elapsed time
• T 1/2 - half-life time
• N - number of half-lives
• IMA - initial mass/activity
• RMA - remaining mass/activity after N half-lives
• TT = T 1/2 * N
• RMA = IMA * (1 / 2**N) = IMA * (0.5)**N

• radiation that can break a bond or remove certain electrons around an atom
• produces ion pairs

• total mass # on both sides of the equation must be equal
• total atomic # on both sides of the equation must be equal

all are exothermic

• a particle with no mass and a positive charge produced when a proton is transformed into a neutron and a positron
• released as positron emission
• also called beta-positive

• a measure of an amount of radiation absorbed by the body
• analogy - how much rain hits you

energy or particles released by radioactive atoms

• time
• distance
• shielding

the process by which an unstable nucleus breaks down with the release of high-energy radiation

• a measure of the biological damage caused by the various kinds of radiation (rad x radiation biological factor)
• takes into account what kind of particle is hitting you
• radiation biological factor:
• - 1 for beta, gamma, x-rays
• - 10 for protons & neutrons
• - 20 for alpha

the image of a site in the body created by the detection of radiation from radioactive isotopes that have accumulated in that site

materials used to provide protection from radioactive sources

a unit of biological damage (equivalent dose) equal to 100 rem