Uses of nuclear decay

• Smoke alarms

  • alpha emitter is used
  • it's emitted into the air around alarm to the detector, but it doesn't reach far as alpha is weakly penetrating
  • when smoke reaches alarm, alpha particles cannot reach detector, due to being weakly penetrating
  • so alarm goes off
• Radioactive tracers:

  • half-life of about 6 hours
  • gamma emitters are used as they can penetrate through skin
  • is injected/swallowed, and has enough time to flow through body and reach organ being diagnosed
  • then special camera is used to detect decay
• Gamma rays can be used to sterilize food and medical equipment.
• Chemotherapy:

  • gamma emitters are used
  • gamma rays are directed onto area with cancerous cells, which absorb energy and die
  • however it is hard to direct rays accurately, so surrounding healthy cells may be irradiated and destroyed, which can cause bad side effects
• Uses of nuclear decay:

  • Radioactive tracers
  • Smoke alarms
  • Chemotherapy