19,879
edits
Changes
→Key Stage 4
|-
| style="height:20px; width:600px; text-align:left;" |It can [[Radioactive Decay|decay]] into a [[proton]] and a [[Beta Particle|beta particle]] releasing a [[gamma-ray]]
|}
====Comparison of Ionising Radiation====
{| class="wikitable"
| style="height:20px; width:100px; text-align:center;" |'''Radiation'''
| style="height:20px; width:50px; text-align:center;" |'''Symbol'''
| style="height:20px; width:100px; text-align:center;" |'''Relative Penetration Depth'''
| style="height:20px; width:100px; text-align:center;" |'''Relative Ionising Potential'''
| style="height:20px; width:250px; text-align:center;" |'''Extra Info'''
|-
| style="height:20px; width:100px; text-align:center;" |[[Alpha Particle|Alpha Radiation]]
| style="height:20px; width:50px; text-align:center;" |α
| style="height:20px; width:100px; text-align:center;" |Low
| style="height:20px; width:100px; text-align:center;" |High
| style="height:20px; width:250px; text-align:center;" |[[Alpha Particle|Alpha]] is the least dangerous outside the body as it cannot [[Penetration Depth|penetrate]] the [[skin]], but the most dangerous inside the body because it is the most highly [[Ionising Potential|ionising]].
|-
| style="height:20px; width:100px; text-align:center;" |[[Beta Particle|Beta Radiation]]
| style="height:20px; width:50px; text-align:center;" |β-
| style="height:20px; width:100px; text-align:center;" |Medium
| style="height:20px; width:100px; text-align:center;" |Medium
| style="height:20px; width:250px; text-align:center;" |[[Beta Particle|Beta]] is equally dangerous inside as outside the body as easily [[Penetration Depth|penetrates]] [[skin]].
|-
| style="height:20px; width:100px; text-align:center;" |[[Gamma-ray|Gamma Radiation]]
| style="height:20px; width:50px; text-align:center;" |γ
| style="height:20px; width:100px; text-align:center;" |High
| style="height:20px; width:100px; text-align:center;" |Low
| style="height:20px; width:250px; text-align:center;" |[[Gamma-ray|Gamma]] easily [[Penetration Depth|penetrates]] the [[skin]] but mostly passes through the body without interacting with any [[atom]]s. However, at high intensities it is extremely dangerous.
|-
| style="height:20px; width:100px; text-align:center;" |[[Neutron Radiation]]
| style="height:20px; width:50px; text-align:center;" |n
| style="height:20px; width:100px; text-align:center;" |High
| style="height:20px; width:100px; text-align:center;" |Indirect
| style="height:20px; width:250px; text-align:center;" |[[Neutron]]s are the most dangerous to living [[tissue]] as it [[Penetration Depth|penetrates]] the [[skin]] easily and is likely to be captured by the [[Atomic Nucleus|nucleus]] of [[atom]]s inside the body making them [[radioactive]].
|-
|}
===Ionising Radiation and Cancer===
: Exposure to '''ionising radiation''' is a [[Risk Factor|risk factor]] in [[cancer]] because '''ionising radiation''' can cause [[DNA]] [[molecule]]s to break. When the [[Cell (Biology)|cell]] tries to repair the [[DNA]] it can make mistakes called [[mutation]]s. If this [[mutation]] tells the [[Cell (Biology)|cell]] to replicate constantly then this becomes [[cancer]].