GCSE Edexcel Physics 1 hour 9 questions

Exam Questions

Uses & Dangers of

Easy (3 questions) /33 Scan here to return to the course

Hard (3 questions) /27

Total Marks /76

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Easy Questions
1 (a) Radioactivity is used in PET scanners in hospitals.

PET scanners are used to diagnose cancer.

State two precautions that hospital staff might take when working with radioactivity.

(2 marks)

(b) State two other uses of radioactivity, apart from treatment or diagnosis of cancer.

(2 marks)

(c) Give two reasons why gamma is the most suitable type of radiation for sterilising
medical equipment.

(2 marks)

(d) Iodine-131 is often used as a radioactive tracer which is injected into the patient's
bloodstream.

State two precautions taken when using a radioactive isotope as a medical tracer.

(2 marks)

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2 (a) Exposure to ionising radiation can be dangerous.

Identify why it could be dangerous by placing ticks (✓) in the table next to the correct
options.

Potential reasons why exposure can be Identify by placing a tick (✓) the
dangerous correct reasons

It can cause tissue damage

It can cause flu-like symptoms

It can damage DNA

Acute exposure can burn skin

It can cause vomiting

(3 marks)

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(b) To mitigate the risks associated with radiation exposure there are some safe practices
that should be adopted.

Complete the sentences using the correct scientific words or statements.

Radioactive sources should be kept in a ___________ when not in use, for example, a
lead-lined box

Radioactive materials should only be handled when wearing ___________, and with
___________ to increase the distance from them

It may be appropriate to wear ___________ to prevent the body from becoming

The ___________ that a radioactive source is being used for should be ___________

(4 marks)

(c) The following sentences explain the differences between short half-life values and long
half-life values.

Circle the correct word word or phrase in each sentence.

If an isotope has a short half-life it will decay very slowly / very quickly

Sources with long half-life values present a risk of contamination for a

If a large / small amount of isotope with a short half-life is used then the levels of
radiation emitted could be extremely dangerous

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 (3 marks)

(d) Different equipment is available to protect people from irradiation and contamination.

Suggest one piece of equipment that can protect from irradiation and one that can
protect from contamination.

(2 marks)

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3 (a) There are several units used with radioactivity.

Match the unit to its correct use by drawing lines between them.

(3 marks)

(b) A professor has split ink all over his notes on half-life and risk and there are now words
missing.

Complete the sentences for him by filling in the gaps using the words from the box.

Each answer can be used once, more than once or not at all.

slowly dangerous quickly safe

radioactivity random nuclear contamination

If an isotope has a short half-life, the nuclei will decay very .................... . This means that
the isotope will emit a lot of radiation in a short amount of time.

If only a small amount of the isotope is used, having a short half-life can be
advantageous, as the material will quickly lose its .................... .

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 If a large amount is used, however, the levels of radiation emitted could make handling
the isotope extremely .................... .

If an isotope has a long half-life then a sample of it will decay .................... . Although it
may not emit a lot of radiation, it will remain radioactive for a very long time.

Sources with long half-life values present a risk of .................... for a much longer time.

(5 marks)

(c) There are several uses of radiation for medical treatment.

Identify the use of each type of treatment.

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 Treatment Use

PET Scanner

Radiotherapy

Medical Tracer

(3 marks)

(d) State the two particles involved in annihilation during Positron Emission Tomography.

(2 marks)

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Medium Questions
1 Iodine-131 is often used as a radioactive tracer which is injected into the patient's
bloodstream.

State two precautions taken when using a radioactive isotope as a medical tracer.

(2 marks)

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2 (a) Camera lenses contains several pieces of glass. In some older cameras, one of the pieces
of glass includes a radioactive isotope, thorium-232.

Thorium-232 undergoes alpha decay and produces an isotope of radium, Ra.

Complete the equation for this decay.

232 Th → ( i) Ra + 4α
90 (ii) (iii)

(3 marks)

(b) The radioactive glass also emits beta particles from a different isotope. Figure 1 shows
the position of the radioactive glass in the camera.

Figure 1

Amateur astronomers sometimes remove an old camera lens to use as a lens in a

(i) Suggest why it is safe to use radioactive glass in the camera as shown in Figure 1.

[1]

(ii) Suggest why an astronomer should not use a lens with radioactive glass close to their
eye.

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 [2]

(3 marks)

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3 (a) There are two sources of alpha radiation in some houses:

Radon gas in the air

Solid americium in a smoke alarm

Explain why the alpha particles from radon are a greater risk to health than the alpha
particles from americium.

(2 marks)

(b) Figure 1 shows how the activity of a sample of radon-220 changes with time which is
measured in seconds.

Figure 1

Label the axes on the graph.

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 (2 marks)

(c) Use Figure 1 to find a value for the half-life of radon-220.

(2 marks)

(d) Explain why the risk to health from Radon gas is low.

(2 marks)

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Hard Questions
1 (a) Define the term half-life.

(2 marks)

(b) A doctor uses gamma radiation to produce an image of a person's brain as shown in
Figure 1. The doctor injects a solution of technetium-99m, a radioactive isotope, into the
patient. A detector outside the patient received gamma radiation to form the image.

Figure 1

Technetium-99m emits gamma rays and has a short half-life.

Explain why isotopes that emit alpha particles or beta particles are not suitable for this
use.

(2 marks)

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(c) Technetium-99m has a half-life of 6 hours. A sample of technetium-99m has an activity of
380 MBq.

Calculate the activity of the technetium-99m sample after 24 hours.

activity = ..............................................MBq

(3 marks)

(d) Explain why technetium-99m has a suitable half-life for use as a radioactive tracer.

(2 marks)

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2 (a) Figure 1 gives information about six radioactive isotopes.

Isotope Type of radiation emitted Half-life

phosphorus-32 beta 3.8 days

strontium-90 beta 28 years

technetium-99 gamma 6 days

uranium-238 alpha 4.46 billion years

uranium-235 alpha 0.70 billion years

cobalt-60 gamma 5.3 years

Figure 1

Two isotopes of uranium are given in the table.

State how the nuclei of these two isotopes differ.

(1 mark)

(b) A doctor needs to monitor the blood flow through a patient’s kidney.

To do this, they inject a radioactive tracer into the patient, and then monitor the level of
radiation in the kidney using a GM detector and counter outside of the patient’s body.

State and explain which of the isotopes in Figure 1 would be most suitable as a medical
tracer inside the human body.

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 (3 marks)

(c) State which of the radioisotopes from Figure 1 would be most suitable for monitoring the
thickness of aluminium foil.

Explain the reasons for your choice.

(3 marks)

(d) Watering a plant with a solution containing a radioactive isotope can help scientists to
understand the growth processes occurring within it.

Using information from Figure 1, explain why phosphorus-32 would be suitable as a

(2 marks)

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3 (a) Radioactive materials can cause irradiation and contamination.

Explain the differences between the terms irradiation and contamination.

Discuss the following points in your answer:

Define both irradiation and contamination

State the source of irradiation and contamination

Describe how to prevent irradiation and contamination

Determine the causes of both irradiation and contamination

(6 marks)

(b) Describe how medical instruments are sterilised.

(3 marks)

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