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The flashcards below were created by user
darlene.m.nelson
on FreezingBlue Flashcards.
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Activity
- how active in giving off radiation a substance is
- analogy - how hard is it raining
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Alpha particle
- a nuclear particle identical to a helium nucleus (2 protons & 2 neutrons)
- released through alpha decay
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Becquerel (Bq)
a unit of activity of a radioactive sample equal to one disintegration per second
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Beta particle
- 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
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Carbon dating
- 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
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Chain reaction
- 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
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Curie (Ci)
- 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
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Decay curve
a diagram of the decay of a radioactive element
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Equivalent dose
the measure of biological damage from an absorbed dose that has been adjusted for the type of radiation
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Fission
- 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
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Fusion
- 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
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Gamma ray
high-energy radiation emitted by an unstable nucleus
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Gray (Gy)
a unit of absorbed dose equal to 100 rad
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Half-life
- 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
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Half-life equations
- 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
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Ionizing radiation
- radiation that can break a bond or remove certain electrons around an atom
- produces ion pairs
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Nuclear equation rules
- total mass # on both sides of the equation must be equal
- total atomic # on both sides of the equation must be equal
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Nuclear reactions
all are exothermic
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Positron
- 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
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Rad (radiation absorbed dose)
- a measure of an amount of radiation absorbed by the body
- analogy - how much rain hits you
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Radiation
energy or particles released by radioactive atoms
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Radioactive decay
the process by which an unstable nucleus breaks down with the release of high-energy radiation
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Rem (radiation equivalent in humans)
- 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
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Scan
the image of a site in the body created by the detection of radiation from radioactive isotopes that have accumulated in that site
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Shielding
materials used to provide protection from radioactive sources
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Sievert (Sv)
a unit of biological damage (equivalent dose) equal to 100 rem
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