S5 RADIOACTIVITY
S5 RADIOACTIVITY
*Types of Radiation:*
*Radioactive Decay:*
Radioactive decay is the process by which unstable nuclei lose energy and
stability. There are several types of radioactive decay:
*Half-Life:*
Half-life is the time required for half of the initial amount of a radioactive
substance to decay. It's a fundamental property of radioactive materials and is
used to describe their stability.
*Applications:*
*Calculations:*
1. *Half-life calculations*: t1/2 = ln(2) / λ
2. *Decay rate calculations*: dN/dt = -λN (N = amount of radioactive
substance)
*Graphs:*
1. *Decay curves*: Show the decrease in radioactive material over time, with
the amount of substance decreasing exponentially.
*Importance:*
*Stability Bands:*
The stability band is a region on a graph of neutron number (N) vs. proton
number (Z) where nuclei are stable. Nuclei outside this band are radioactive.
*Half-Lives:*
Half-life is the time required for half of the initial amount of a radioactive
substance to decay. Different elements have varying half-lives, ranging from
fractions of a second to billions of years.
*Examples:*
*Applications of Radioactivity:*
1. *Medicine:*
- Cancer treatment (radiotherapy)
- Imaging (PET scans, SPECT scans)
- Diagnostics (radioimmunoassays)
2. *Industry:*
- Sterilization of medical equipment and food
- Materials analysis (neutron activation analysis)
- Well logging (oil and gas exploration)
3. *Environmental Science:*
- Dating ancient materials (14C dating)
- Tracing environmental pollutants
- Studying climate change
4. *Other Applications:*
- Food irradiation
- Nuclear power generation
- Scientific research
*Ethical Considerations:*