Radioactivity

The Atomic Nucleus
Review…the nucleus
The nucleus is protons and neutrons
composed of particles
called nucleons..__ & __
Neutrons and protons

neutrons
have the same mass,
with ___ being slightly
greater.
Neutrons have nearly electrons

2000 times the mass of
_____.
Review…the atom
The mass of an atom is
nucleus
almost equal to the mass
of the _____ alone
Nucleons are bound

together by an attractive strong
nuclear force called the
____ force
The positively charged

orbits
protons in the nucleus
hold the negatively
charged electrons in their
____
Review…the atom
The number of ___ in the protons
nucleus determines the
chemical properties of
the atom
The # of protons
determines the # of ____
that orbit the atom
The # of ___ has no

direct effect on the # of
electrons
Review…the atom
The principal role of the
neutrons in the nucleus cement
is to act as a sort of ____
to hold the nucleus
together
The electrical force acts

repulsive
as a ____ force between
protons
The atom needs a stability

certain balance of
neutrons and protons for
___
The symbol was created in 1946 UC-
Berkeley to represent “activity
coming out of a atom”
What is Radioactivity?
Radioactive decay is the process in which an
unstable atomic nucleus loses energy by emitting
radiation in the form of particles or electromagnetic
waves.
There are numerous types of radioactive decay. The

general idea:
An unstable nucleus releases energy to become

more stable
Radioactive Decay
Radioactive Decay
A neutron is very unstable. A lone neutron will

spontaneously decay into a proton + an electron.
If you have a lot of neutrons, within 11 minutes ½ of

them will have decayed
Particles that decay are said to be radioactive
A lone neutron is radioactive

All the elements heavier than Bismuth (At # 83)
Their atoms emit 3 things…alpha, beta
particles and gamma rays
Which is more penetrating?
Radioactive Isotope
Iodine-131, a beta emitter, is taken as sodium iodide

in drinking water. Almost all of it will find its way to
the thyroid
Isotopes
They are atoms of the same element that have

different numbers of neutrons.
Radioactive Half-life
Radioactive Half-Life
The half-life of an element is the time it takes for half
of the material you started with to decay
Remember, it doesn’t matter how much you
start with. After 1 half-life, half of it will have
decayed.
Each element decays into a new element
C14 decays into N14 while U238 decays into Pb206
(lead), etc
The half-life of each element is constant. It’s like a
clock keeping perfect time
Half-life
Half-life
Half-life
Half-life
“How much of this element remains after 4
half-lives?
Just remember that at the end

of one half-life, 50% of the
element will remain. Find
50%
on the vertical axis, Follow
the
blue line over to the red
curve
and drop straight down to
find
the answer:
Carbon Dating
The radioactivity of once living things decreases at a
predictable rate
Uranium Dating
The dating of older, non-living things (like rocks) is
accomplished by radioactive minerals, such as
Uranium. Uranium decays very slowly.
Rocks on Earth have been dated to 3.7 bil yrs old

Rocks on Moon dated to 4.2 bil yrs old
The Earth has been dated to 4.6 bil yrs old

Review…whew!
https://archive.org/details/NASARealWorldMath_
WhatIsRadioactiveDecay_HD
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barium_swallow
Radiation Penetrating Power
Three Common Types of Radioactive
Emissions - Penetrability
Alpha particles may be
completely stopped by a
sheet of paper, beta
particles by aluminum
shielding. Gamma rays,
however, can only be
reduced by much more
substantial obstacles, such
as a very thick piece of
lead.
Radiation Penetrating Power
http://www.passmyexams.co.uk/GCSE/physics/pen
etrating-properties-of-radiation.html
Radiation and You (and me)!
http://people.chem.duke.edu/~jds/cruise_chem/nu
clear/exposure.html
Is there radon in your home?
Sources of Radioactivity
Primordial - from before the creation of the Earth

Cosmogenic - formed as a result of cosmic ray
interactions
Human produced - enhanced or formed due to
human actions (minor amounts compared to
natural)
Radiation Exposure to Americans
Review
Name three of the science pioneers in the study of
Radioactivity.?
Why does a nucleus decay?
Order these emissions from least to greatest
penetrability: Gamma, Alpha, Beta.
What is the greatest source of exposure to
radioactivity in our everyday lives?
Nuclear Fusion - Energy released when
two light nuclei combine or fuse
•However, a large amount of energy is

required to start a fusion reaction:
repulsion forces
o Need this energy to overcome ________
of protons.
o Extremely high temperatures can provide start-up
energy.
More energy in fusing hydrogen that fission of uranium

Radioactivity

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The Atomic Nucleus

Neutrons and protons

Neutrons have nearly electrons

Nucleons are bound

The positively charged

The # of ___ has no

The electrical force acts

The atom needs a stability

There are numerous types of radioactive decay. The

An unstable nucleus releases energy to become

A neutron is very unstable. A lone neutron will

If you have a lot of neutrons, within 11 minutes ½ of

Particles that decay are said to be radioactive

A lone neutron is radioactive

Iodine-131, a beta emitter, is taken as sodium iodide

They are atoms of the same element that have

Just remember that at the end

Rocks on Earth have been dated to 3.7 bil yrs old

The Earth has been dated to 4.6 bil yrs old

Primordial - from before the creation of the Earth

•However, a large amount of energy is

More energy in fusing hydrogen that fission of uranium

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