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Combined Science: Physics

GCSE · Edexcel · foundation

QuestionsFlashcards

Expressing Quantities & SI Units
- Units & Prefixes
  8
- Conversions & Standard Form
  6

Atomic Structure
Radioactive Decay
Dangers of Radiation
- Dangers of Radiation
  5
- Contamination & Irradiation
  6

Magnetism
Electromagnetism & The Motor Effect
- Magnetic Fields in Wires
  6
- Magnetic Fields in Solenoids
  6

Transformers & the National Grid
- The National Grid
  5
- The Ideal Transformer Equation
  3

Contamination & Irradiation Flashcards

All 6 cards in this deck

What is meant by irradiation?: Being exposed to ionising radiation from a radioactive source outside the body, without touching the source itself.
What is meant by radioactive contamination?: Unwanted radioactive material getting onto or inside an object or a person's body.
True or false? An object that has been irradiated becomes radioactive itself.: False. Irradiation does not make an object radioactive; only contamination leaves radioactive material on or in it.
Why is contamination usually a greater hazard than irradiation once the source has been taken away?: The radioactive material stays on or inside the body and keeps emitting ionising radiation, while irradiation stops as soon as the source is removed or shielded.
Which types of radiation are most dangerous to be irradiated by from a source outside the body, and why?: Beta and gamma, because they can pass through the skin and reach internal organs. Alpha is stopped by the skin.
Which type of radiation is most dangerous if a source gets inside the body (contamination), and why?: Alpha. Its range is very short and it ionises heavily, so it dumps all its energy into the nearby cells.