type of radiation

• what constitutes an alpha particle

  two protons and 2 neutrons , it is the same as a helium nucleus
• what is the range of an alpha particle through air

  a few centimetres (2-10cm)
• what is an alpha particle blocked by

  a sheet of paper
• what will block beta radiation

  a thin sheet of aluminium , several metres of air
• what will block gamma radiation

  several centimetres of lead , a few metres of concrete
• what type of radiation is most ionising

  alpha radiation
• why is alpha radiation so ionising

  it is a relatively large molecule therefore it is more likely to collide with an atom and cause an electron to leave the nucleus
• what is ionisation

  a process in which an electron is added or gained to an atom creating a positive or negative ion
• how ionising is beta radiation

  moderately ionising
• how ionising in gamma radiation

  barely ionising
• how is a beta particle formed

  a neutron decays into a proton and an electron which is quickly emitted from the nucleus ,
• how is a positron formed

  a proton turns into a neutron and a positron
• what happens to the mass number and atomic number when an alpha particle is released

  mass number decreases by 4 , atomic number decreases by 2
• what happens to the mass number and atomic number when a beta particle is released ,

  when an electron is released , the mass number stays the same but the atomic number increase by 1 , when a positron is released , the mass number stays the same and the atomic number decreases by 1
• how does a neutron emission affect the mass number and atomic number

  mass number decreases by 1
• what effect do gamma rays have on atomic number and mass number

  no effect
• during radioactive decay , is some energy lost as gamma radiation during atomic rearrangement

  yes