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Atomic & Nuclear Physics · Part 5 of 5
6 exam-style questions with model answers, plus 7 quick multi-choice questions — every question on this part of the standard, grouped by the 2 pages of notes they come from.
Write a full answer before you reveal the model one. That comparison is where the learning happens.
State one medical use of radioactivity and name the type of radiation typically used for it.
A thickness gauge uses a beta source on one side of a moving sheet of metal, with a detector on the other side measuring how much radiation passes through.
Explain why beta radiation, rather than alpha or gamma, is the appropriate choice for this application.
Explain fully how carbon dating is used to estimate the age of an object that was once living, referring to the behaviour of carbon-14 before and after the organism's death, and to the half-life equation.
Name two natural sources of background radiation.
A worker in a nuclear facility must handle a strong gamma-emitting source.
Describe two practical ways she can reduce her radiation exposure, explaining why each is effective.
A radioactive source that emits both alpha and gamma radiation is being handled. Explain fully why alpha radiation poses little external risk to a worker standing near the source, but would be very dangerous if the source were accidentally swallowed — while gamma radiation is dangerous in both situations.