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Radioactivity

Key Stage 4

Meaning

The hazard symbol for a radioactive sample.

Radioactivity is the emission of ionising radiation from a sample of unstable isotopes.

About Radioactivity

The term radioactivity was first coined by Marie Curie who also discovered the elements Polonium and Radium which were radioactive.
The radioactivity of a sample is measured in Becquerels (Bq) which is the number of radioactive decays in a sample per second.
The radioactivity of a sample depends upon the amount of unstable isotopes in the sample and the half life of the isotope.
Radioactivity is a scalar quantity as it has magnitude but does not have a direction.

Extra Information

References

AQA

Activity (radioactivity), page 118, GCSE Combined Science Trilogy; Physics, CGP, AQA
Activity (radioactivity), page 130, GCSE Physics; The Complete 9-1 Course for AQA, CGP, AQA
Activity (radioactivity), page 200, GCSE Combined Science; The Revision Guide, CGP, AQA
Activity (radioactivity), page 46, GCSE Physics; The Revision Guide, CGP, AQA
Activity of radioisotope definition, page 112, GCSE Physics; Student Book, Collins, AQA
Activity, pages 100-101, 109, GCSE Physics; Third Edition, Oxford University Press, AQA
Radioactivity, page 87, GCSE Physics, Hodder, AQA
Radioactivity, pages 114-120, GCSE Combined Science Trilogy; Physics, CGP, AQA
Radioactivity, pages 126-132, GCSE Physics; The Complete 9-1 Course for AQA, CGP, AQA
Radioactivity, pages 92-111, GCSE Physics; Third Edition, Oxford University Press, AQA
Radioactivity; detection of, page 96, GCSE Physics, Hodder, AQA
Radioactivity; detection of, pages 346, 348, GCSE Combined Science Trilogy 1, Hodder, AQA
Radioactivity; discovery of, page 343, GCSE Combined Science Trilogy 1, Hodder, AQA
Radioactivity; discovery of, page 93, GCSE Physics, Hodder, AQA
Radioactivity; effects on the body, page 350, GCSE Combined Science Trilogy 1, Hodder, AQA
Radioactivity; effects on the body, pages 97, 102-3, GCSE Physics, Hodder, AQA
Radioactivity; equations, pages 115-117, GCSE Combined Science Trilogy; Physics, CGP, AQA
Radioactivity; equations, pages 127-129, GCSE Physics; The Complete 9-1 Course for AQA, CGP, AQA
Radioactivity; graphs, page 120, GCSE Combined Science Trilogy; Physics, CGP, AQA
Radioactivity; graphs, page 132, GCSE Physics; The Complete 9-1 Course for AQA, CGP, AQA
Radioactivity; half-life, pages 118-120, GCSE Combined Science Trilogy; Physics, CGP, AQA
Radioactivity; half-life, pages 130-132, GCSE Physics; The Complete 9-1 Course for AQA, CGP, AQA
Radioactivity; hazards of, pages 97, 102-3, 105, 115, 199, GCSE Physics, Hodder, AQA
Radioactivity; ionisation, page 345, GCSE Combined Science Trilogy 1, Hodder, AQA
Radioactivity; ionisation, page 95, GCSE Physics, Hodder, AQA
Radioactivity; irradiation and contamination, page 105, GCSE Physics, Hodder, AQA
Radioactivity; irradiation and contamination, page 351, GCSE Combined Science Trilogy 1, Hodder, AQA
Radioactivity; nuclear decay, pages 93-4, GCSE Physics, Hodder, AQA
Radioactivity; properties of, pages 346-7, GCSE Combined Science Trilogy 1, Hodder, AQA
Radioactivity; properties of, pages 96-7, GCSE Physics, Hodder, AQA
Radioactivity; uses of, pages 104-5, 115, GCSE Physics, Hodder, AQA

Edexcel

Activity (radioactivity), page 161, GCSE Physics, CGP, Edexcel
Activity, page 176, GCSE Combined Science; The Revision Guide, CGP, Edexcel
Activity, pages 53, 55, GCSE Physics; The Revision Guide, CGP, Edexcel
Radioactivity, measuring, pages 96-97, GCSE Physics, Pearson Edexcel
Radioactivity; dangers, pages 106-107, GCSE Physics, Pearson Edexcel
Radioactivity; medical uses, pages 108-109, GCSE Physics, Pearson Edexcel
Radioactivity; uses, pages 104-105, GCSE Physics, Pearson Edexcel

OCR

Radioactivity, pages 199, 200, Gateway GCSE Combined Science; The Revision Guide, CGP, OCR