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v. t. e. Radioactive decay (also known as nuclear decay, radioactivity, radioactive disintegration, or nuclear disintegration) is the process by which an unstable atomic nucleus loses energy by radiation. A material containing unstable nuclei is considered radioactive. Three of the most common types of decay are alpha, beta, and gamma decay.
Radiation, in general, exists throughout nature, such as in light and sound. In physics, radiation is the emission or transmission of energy in the form of waves or particles through space or a material medium. [1][2] This includes: electromagnetic radiation consists of photons, such as visible radiation.
Environmental radioactivity is part of the overall background radiation and is produced by radioactive materials in the human environment. While some radioisotopes, such as strontium-90 ( 90 Sr) and technetium-99 ( 99 Tc), are only found on Earth as a result of human activity, and some, like potassium-40 ( 40 K), are only present due to natural ...
Induced radioactivity. Induced radioactivity, also called artificial radioactivity or man-made radioactivity, is the process of using radiation to make a previously stable material radioactive. [1] The husband-and-wife team of Irène Joliot-Curie and Frédéric Joliot-Curie discovered induced radioactivity in 1934, and they shared the 1935 ...
Radioactivity is generally used in life sciences for highly sensitive and direct measurements of biological phenomena, and for visualizing the location of biomolecules radiolabelled with a radioisotope. All atoms exist as stable or unstable isotopes and the latter decay at a given half-life ranging from attoseconds to billions of years ...
Ionizing radiation. Ionizing radiation (US, ionising radiation in the UK), including nuclear radiation, consists of subatomic particles or electromagnetic waves that have sufficient energy to ionize atoms or molecules by detaching electrons from them. [1] Some particles can travel up to 99% of the speed of light, and the electromagnetic waves ...
SI base unit. s −1. The becquerel (/ ˌbɛkəˈrɛl /; symbol: Bq) is the unit of radioactivity in the International System of Units (SI). One becquerel is defined as an activity of one decay per second. For applications relating to human health this is a small quantity, [1] and SI multiples of the unit are commonly used. [2]
Radiation damage is the effect of ionizing radiation on physical objects including non-living structural materials. It can be either detrimental or beneficial for materials. Radiobiology is the study of the action of ionizing radiation on living things, including the health effects of radiation in humans.