La Consolacion University Philippines

The Catholic University of bulacan

Valenzuela Street, Capitol View Park, Bulihan, Malolos City, Bulacan
http://www.lcup.edu.ph

LA CONSOLACION UNIVERSITY PHILIPPINES

COLLEGE OF MEDICINE AND ALLIED MEDICAL PROFESSIONS

Bachelor of Science in Radiologic
Technology Second Semester Academic Year
2020–2021

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements

in RT – 25 Radiation Therapy
Classwork No. 2 (Prelim)
Exercise No. 2 (Prelim)
Monday, September 6, 2021

Submitted by:
PUZON, ANNE CARLA S.
BS Radiologic Technology Student

Professor:
MS. AMEENA B. OLIVA, RRT, MAEd
Program Head/Faculty, BSRT

September 2021
 La Consolacion University Philippines
The Catholic University of bulacan
Valenzuela Street, Capitol View Park, Bulihan, Malolos City, Bulacan
http://www.lcup.edu.ph

RT – 25 Radiation Therapy

Exercise No. 2 (Prelim)

Classwork No. 2 (Prelim)

General Instructions: Make an academic research regarding the following topics.

Write in a scholarly manner. Kindly provide references at the end. Please refer to
the Course Outline.

1. ATOM

Atom is considered as the basic building block of matter. Anything that

occupies space or that has mass is composed of atoms. It is the smallest unit of
the matter which forms a chemical element. The atom itself is composed of
many subatomic particles and many atoms will combine to form a molecule.

1.1. FUNDAMENTAL PARTICLES

The three fundamental particles are proton, neuron, and electron.
a. PROTONS – Protons are the positively charged particles that are
inside the nucleus of an atom. It is pushed apart by the
electromagnetic force but pulled together by the strong force.
The charge on a proton is exactly equal and opposite to the
charge on an electron. Therefore, the number of electrons in a
neutral atom is always equal to the number of protons
b. ELECTRONS – Electrons are the negatively charged particles. It is
the lightest stable subatomic particle known, and therefore
considered nearly massless in comparison with a proton or a
neutron.
c. NEUTRON – Neutron is one of the three main particles that make
up an atom. Unlike protons and electrons, neutron have no
charge or electrically neutral. Neutrons consist of fundamental
particles known as quarks and gluons; gluons carry the strong
nuclear force that binds the together the quarks in a neutron.
 La Consolacion University Philippines
The Catholic University of bulacan
Valenzuela Street, Capitol View Park, Bulihan, Malolos City, Bulacan
http://www.lcup.edu.ph

1.2. ATOMIC STRUCTURE

Atomic structure refers to the structure of an atom comprising a nucleus

in which the protons and neutrons are present. Primarily, the atomic structure is
made up of protons, electrons, and neutrons.

ELECTRON ARRANGEMENT
Electron arrangements is used to described the position of electrons within
the atom. The main idea behind electron arrangements is that electrons can only
exist at certain energy levels. By understanding the energy levels of electrons in
an atom, we can predict properties and understand behavior of the atom.

ELECTRON BINDING ENERGY

The electron binding energy is the minimum energy that is required to
remove an electron from an atom, as the negatively charged electrons are held
in place by the electrostatic pull of the positively charged nucleus. The electron
binding energy is measured in electron volt (eV), where 1 eV = 1.6 x 10 -19 J. An
electron can only be removed from an atom if the applied energy is greater than
its electron binding energy. When an inner-shell electron is ejected, the vacancy
will be filled by an electron from an outer shell. The excess energy from this shift
is emitted as electromagnetic radiation.

2. RADIOACTIVITY

Radioactivity is the release of energy from the decay of the nuclei of

certain kinds of atoms and isotopes. Atomic nuclei consist of protons and
neutrons bound together in tiny bundles at the center of atoms. Radioactive
nuclei are nuclei that are unstable and that decay by emitting energetic particles
such as photons, electrons, neutrinos, protons, neutrons, or alphas (two protons
and two neutrons bound together). Some of these particles are known as
ionizing particles. These are particles with enough energy to knock electrons off
atoms or molecules. The degree of radioactivity depends on the fraction of
unstable nuclei and how frequently those nuclei decay.
 La Consolacion University Philippines
The Catholic University of bulacan
Valenzuela Street, Capitol View Park, Bulihan, Malolos City, Bulacan
http://www.lcup.edu.ph

2.1 RADIOISOTOPES

Radioisotopes is an unstable form of a chemical element that releases

radiation as it breaks down and becomes more stable. Radioisotopes may occur
in nature or be made in a laboratory. In medicine, they are used in imaging tests
and in treatment. Each radioisotope has a characteristic disintegration or semi-
life period. Energy may be liberated mostly in the form of alpha (helium nuclei),
beta, (electrons or positrons), or gamma (electromagnetic energy) rays. Some
applications of radioisotopes are:
a. Medicine: Diagnosis and treatment of diseases, sterilization of products
frequently used in clinical and surgical environments, etc.
b. Industry and technology: review of materials and welding in
construction, control of productive processes, research, etc.
c. Agriculture: Plague control, food conservation, etc.
d. Art: restoration of art objects, verification of historic or artistic objects,
etc.
e. Archeology: Geological event dating, etc.
f. Research: Universe, industry, medicine, etc.
g. Pharmacology: The study of the metabolism of drugs before they are
authorized for public use.

2.2 RADIOACTIVE HALF-LIFE

A ‘half-life’ is defined as the amount of time taken for the number of

nuclei present in a sample at a given time to exactly halve. This value does not
depend on the moment chosen: the amount of time taken for the nuclei to halve
will always be the same. The number of nuclei that have not yet decayed
diminishes very rapidly with the number of half-lives that pass. After ten half-
lives, for instance, the radioactivity will have gone down by a factor of 1000.
Nuclei which decay easily have shorter half-lives, while those that have more
difficulty last for longer.

2.3 PARTICULATE RADIATION

Particulate radiation consists of particles that have mass and energy, and
may or may not have an electric charge. Examples of particulate radiation
include alpha particles, protons, beta particles, and neutrons.
 La Consolacion University Philippines
The Catholic University of bulacan
Valenzuela Street, Capitol View Park, Bulihan, Malolos City, Bulacan
http://www.lcup.edu.ph

2.4 ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION

Electromagnetic radiation is energy that is propagated through free space

or through a material medium in the form of electromagnetic waves, such as
radio waves, visible light, and gamma rays. The term also refers to the emission
and transmission of such radiant energy. Electromagnetic radiation has
properties in common with other forms of waves such as reflection, refraction,
diffraction, and interference. Electromagnetic radiation, however, has particle-like
properties in addition to those associated with wave motion.

2.5 MODES OF DECAY

There are many types of emitted particles and radiation that radioisotopes
produce when they decay. But there are three most common types of decay
namely: alpha decay (𝛼-decay), beta decay (𝛽-decay), and gamma decay (𝛾-
decay), all of which involve emitting one or more particles.
a. ALPHA DECAY - An alpha particle (α\alpha) is made up of two protons
and two neutrons bound together. This type of radiation has a positive
charge (due to the presence of two protons). An alpha particle is
sometimes represented using the chemical symbol He2+, because it has
the same structure as a helium atom missing its two electrons—hence the
overall charge of +2. Their massive size (compared to beta particles, for
instance) means alpha particles have very low penetration power.
Penetration power describes how easily the particles can pass through
another material. Since alpha particles have a low penetration power, the
outside layer of the human skin, for example, can block these particles.
b. BETA DECAY - In radioactive nuclei with too many neutrons, a neutron
can be converted into an electron, called beta particle. Beta particles (β)
have a higher penetration power than alpha particles (they are able to
pass through thicker materials such as paper). During beta decay, the
number of neutrons in the atom decreases by one, and the number of
protons increases by one. Effectively, a neutron was converted into a
proton in the decaying nucleus, in the process releasing a beta particle.
Since the number of protons before and after the decay is different, the
atom has changed into a different element.
 La Consolacion University Philippines
The Catholic University of bulacan
Valenzuela Street, Capitol View Park, Bulihan, Malolos City, Bulacan
http://www.lcup.edu.ph

c. GAMMA DECAY - Some decay reactions release energy in the form of

electromagnetic waves called gamma rays. Gamma radiation (γ) is part of
the electromagnetic spectrum, just like visible light. However, unlike
visible light, humans cannot see gamma rays, because they have a much
higher frequency and energy than visible light. Gamma radiation has no
mass or charge. This type of radiation is able to penetrate most common
substances, including metals. The only substances that can absorb this
radiation are thick lead and concrete. Gamma decay reactions occur if the
energy of the radioisotope’s nucleus is too high, and the resulting atomic
number and atomic mass remain unchanged during the course of the
reaction.

2.4 NUCLEAR REACTION

Nuclear reaction, is a change in the identity or characteristics of an atomic

nucleus, induced by bombarding it with an energetic particle. The bombarding
particle may be an alpha particle, a gamma-ray photon, a neutron, a proton, or a
heavy ion. In any case, the bombarding particle must have enough energy to
approach the positively charged nucleus to within range of the strong nuclear
force. A typical nuclear reaction involves two reacting particles—a heavy target
nucleus and a light bombarding particle—and produces two new particles—a
heavier product nucleus and a lighter ejected particle.
 La Consolacion University Philippines
The Catholic University of bulacan
Valenzuela Street, Capitol View Park, Bulihan, Malolos City, Bulacan
http://www.lcup.edu.ph

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l
 La Consolacion University Philippines
The Catholic University of bulacan
Valenzuela Street, Capitol View Park, Bulihan, Malolos City, Bulacan
http://www.lcup.edu.ph

Electron | Definition, mass, & facts. (n.d.). Encyclopedia

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 La Consolacion University Philippines
The Catholic University of bulacan
Valenzuela Street, Capitol View Park, Bulihan, Malolos City, Bulacan
http://www.lcup.edu.ph

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