Properties of Alpha, Beta & Gamma

• Properties of Alpha, Beta & Gamma

  Properties of Alpha, Beta and Gamma Radiation

  • The properties of Alpha, Beta and Gamma are given in this table, and then described in more detail below
• Different Properties of Nuclear Radiation

  
• • The trend down the table shows:
  • The range increases
  • Penetrating power increases
  • Ionisation decreases
• Penetrating Power

  • Alpha, beta and gamma have different properties
  • They penetrate materials in different ways
  • This means they are stopped by different materials

  Alpha, beta and gamma are different in how they penetrate materials. Alpha is the least penetrating, and gamma is the most penetrating

  
• • Alpha is stopped by paper
  • Beta and gamma can pass through paper
  • Beta is stopped by a few millimetres of aluminium
  • Gamma can pass through aluminium
  • Gamma rays are only partially stopped by thick lead
  • Nothing can completely stop gamma radiation
• Ionising Power

  • All nuclear radiation is capable of ionising atoms that it hits
  • When an atom is ionised, the number of electrons it has changes
  • This gives it a non-zero charge
• When radiation passes close to atoms it can knock out electrons, ionising the atom

  
• • Alpha radiation is the most ionising form of nuclear radiation
  • This is because alpha particles have a charge of +2
  • Gamma radiation is the least ionising form of nuclear radiation
• Range in Air

  • The more ionising a form of radiation is, the sooner it will react with the air it is moving through
  • Strongly ionising radiation has the shortest range in air
  • Alpha only travels a few centimetres in air
  • Beta has a range of a few tens of centimetres
  • Gamma is not absorbed by air and so has an infinite range, although it does get less intense with distance