Radioactivity

Samiul Ehsan
Computer Science & Engineering
Radioactivity

▪ Radioactivity also known as radioactive decay is a process in which

unstable atomic nucleus loses energy by emitting radiation.
▪ Radiation is released in form of particles or electromagnetic waves.
▪ The rate of radioactive decay is described in half-lives.
▪ The main source of radiation in Earth is sun. Radiation is going
through everywhere and all the time.
 Pioneers in Radioactivity
Rutherford: Roentgen:
Discoverer Discoverer of X-
Alpha and Beta rays 1895
rays 1897

The Curies:
Becquerel:
Discoverers of
Discoverer of
Radium and
Radioactivity
Polonium 1900-
1896
1908
Type of Radioactivity
By the end of the 1800s, it was known that
certain isotopes emit penetrating rays.
Three types of radiation were known:

1)Alpha particles (a)

2)Beta particles (b)

3)Gamma-rays (g)
Particle Mass Charge

Gamma (g) 0 0
Beta (b) ~0.5 -1

Alpha (a) ~3752 +2

 This is the
atomic weight, which
is the number of Alpha Particles (a)
protons plus neutrons

Radium Radon
+ n p
p n
R226 Rn222
a (4He)
88 protons 86 protons 2 protons
138 neutrons 136 neutrons 2 neutrons

 The alpha-particle (a) is a Helium nucleus.

 It’s the same as the element Helium, with the electrons stripped off !
 A sheet of paper or human skin can stop Alpha Particles.
 These are only hazardous to human health if they are inhaled.
 Beta Particles (b)

Carbon Nitrogen e-
+
C14 N14

6 protons 7 protons electron

8 neutrons 7 neutrons (beta-particle)

We see that one of the neutrons from the C14 nucleus

“converted” into a proton, and an electron was ejected.
The remaining nucleus contains 7p and 7n, which is a nitrogen
nucleus. In symbolic notation, the following process occurred:

np+e (+n)
Beta Particles (b)

 They can travel a few feet in air but can usually be

stopped by clothing or a few centimeters of wood.

 They are considered hazardous mainly if ingested or

inhaled, but can cause radiation damage to the skin
if the exposure is large enough.

 Unstable Neutron decays into a proton.

Gamma particles (g)

Neon Neon
Ne20 Ne20 +

10 protons 10 protons
gamma
10 neutrons 10 neutrons
(in excited state) (lowest energy state)

 In much the same way that electrons in atoms can be in an

excited state, so can a nucleus.

 A gamma is a high energy light particle. It is NOT visible by your

naked eye because it is not in the visible part of the EM spectrum.
Gamma particles (g)

 Occurs when an unstable nucleus emits electromagnetic radiation. The

radiation has no mass, and so its emission does not change the element.
 They penetrate matter easily and are best stopped by water or thick
layers of lead or concrete.
 Gamma radiation is hazardous to people inside and outside of the body.
 Gamma rays have the lowest ionizing power, but the highest penetrating
power.
 Half-Life

 The “half-life” (h) is the time it takes for half the atoms of a
radioactive substance to decay.

 For example, suppose we had 20,000 atoms of a radioactive substance.

If the half-life is 1 hour, how many atoms of that substance would be
left after:
#atoms % of atoms
Time
remaining remaining

1 hour (one lifetime) ? 10,000 (50%)

2 hours (two lifetimes) ? 5,000 (25%)

3 hours (three lifetimes) ? 2,500 (12.5%)

 Lifetime(t)

 The “lifetime” of a particle is an alternate definition ofthe rate of decay.

 The lifetime of a free neutron is 14.7 minutes.
 If there were 1000 free neutrons in a box, after 14.7
minutes some number of them will have decayed.
 The number remaining after some time is given by the
radioactive decay law-

N  N 0 e  t / N0 = starting number
of particles
t = particle’s lifetime

Its value is 2.718

 Lifetime

Not all particles have the same lifetime.

 Uranium-238 has a lifetime of about 4.5 billion
(4.5x109) years !
 Some subatomic particles have lifetimes that are
less than 1x10-12 sec !
 Given a batch of unstable particles, we cannot
say which one will decay.
 The process of decay is statistical. That is, we can
only talk about either,
1) the lifetime of a radioactive substance*, or
2) the “probability” that a given particle will decay.
 Uses of radiation

• Radioactive tracers are used to locate tumors, to study the functioning of a

particular organ, or to monitor the flow of blood. Such as iodine-131 is used for
thyroid problems.
• used to treat cancer may involve the use of implanted radioactive isotopes such
as gold-198 or iridium-192.
• Radioactive particles often used to measure the thickness of metal goods.
• Radio isotopes often used for smoke alarms.
• Nuclear fission is used to generate Electricity.
• The age of fossil or rock or anything can be determined by radio isotopes suck
as carbon-14. though it can measure only 50,000
years.
Geiger Muller Counter

• Is used to detect
radiation
• original operating
principle was
discovered in 1908 in
early radiation
research.
• However, there are
limitations in
measuring high
radiation rates.
Thank You