Radiation

• Gamma radiation can travel the furthest in air, so is the most dangerous over distances of more than a metre
• The becquerel (Bq) is a unit of activity and corresponds to one nucleus decaying each second.
• Alpha radiation would not penetrate the paper, and gamma radiation would penetrate the aluminium.
• Alpha radiation is the largest so travels the least distance in air.
• An isotope is radioactive if it’s nucleus is unstabme
• Alpha nucleus radiation is used in smoke alarms
• radioactive decay is a random process.
• An alpha particle contains 2 protons and 2 neutrons, just like a helium nucleus.