Radiation is energy that comes from a source and travels through space at the speed of light. This energy has an electric field and a magnetic field associated with it, and has wave-like properties. You could also call radiation “electromagnetic waves”.
What is the definition of radiation in chemistry?
(RAY-dee-AY-shun) Energy released in the form of particle or electromagnetic waves. Common sources of radiation include radon gas, cosmic rays from outer space, medical x-rays, and energy given off by a radioisotope (unstable form of a chemical element that releases radiation as it breaks down and becomes more stable).
What is radiation and examples?
Radiation includes emanation of any portion of the electromagnetic spectrum, plus it includes the release of particles. Examples include: A burning candle emits radiation in the form of heat and light. The Sun emits radiation in the form of light, heat, and particles.
What are the 3 types of radiation?
Radiation is energy, in the form of particles or electromagnetic rays, released from radioactive atoms. The three most common types of radiation are alpha particles, beta particles, and gamma rays. Alpha radiation is not able to penetrate skin.
What is the unit of radiation?
The radiation dose absorbed by a person (that is, the amount of energy deposited in human tissue by radiation) is measured using the conventional unit rad or the SI unit gray (Gy). The biological risk of exposure to radiation is measured using the conventional unit rem or the SI unit sievert (Sv).
How is radiation formed?
Ionizing radiation is produced by unstable atoms. Unstable atoms differ from stable atoms because unstable atoms have an excess of energy or mass or both. Radiation can also be produced by high-voltage devices (e.g., x-ray machines). Unstable atoms are said to be radioactive.
What is radiation made of?
Radiation is energy given off by matter in the form of rays or high-speed particles. All matter is composed of atoms. Atoms are made up of various parts; the nucleus contains minute particles called protons and neutrons, and the atom’s outer shell contains other particles called electrons.
What are the 7 types of radiation?
The electromagnetic spectrum is generally divided into seven regions, in order of decreasing wavelength and increasing energy and frequency. The common designations are radio waves, microwaves, infrared (IR), visible light, ultraviolet (UV) light, X-rays and gamma-rays.
Is radiation a particle?
Particle radiation is the radiation of energy by means of fast-moving subatomic particles. Particle radiation is referred to as a particle beam if the particles are all moving in the same direction, similar to a light beam. Due to the wave–particle duality, all moving particles also have wave character.
What are types of radiation?
There are four major types of radiation: alpha, beta, neutrons, and electromagnetic waves such as gamma rays. They differ in mass, energy and how deeply they penetrate people and objects.
What is a good example of radiation?
Radiation Examples ultraviolet light from the sun. heat from a stove burner. visible light from a candle. x-rays from an x-ray machine.
What are the 2 types of radiation?
There are two kinds of radiation: non-ionizing radiation and ionizing radiation. Non-ionizing radiation has enough energy to move atoms in a molecule around or cause them to vibrate, but not enough to remove electrons from atoms. Examples of this kind of radiation are radio waves, visible light and microwaves.
What are properties of radiation?
Radiation can be absorbed by substances in its path. For example, alpha radiation travels only a few centimetres in air, beta radiation travels tens of centimetres in air, and gamma radiation travels very large distances.
What are the uses of radiation?
Today, to benefit humankind, radiation is used in medicine, academics, and industry, as well as for generating electricity. In addition, radiation has useful applications in such areas as agriculture, archaeology (carbon dating), space exploration, law enforcement, geology (including mining), and many others.
How do you calculate radiation?
How is radiation measured? The units used to measure radiation are the rem and the millirem (1/1,000th of a rem). The international unit for measuring radiation exposure is the sievert (Sv), and 1 Sv = 100 rems. Therefore, to convert from the mrem values above to mSv (millisievert), divide the value by 100.
What are 4 ways radiation is measured?
- Radioactivity refers to the amount of ionizing radiation released by a material.
- Exposure describes the amount of radiation traveling through the air.
How do you check for radiation?
A device such as a Geiger counter can be used to survey people to determine the body location of radioactive particles. Type of radiation. A part of the larger emergency response to a radioactive accident or attack would include identifying the type of radiation exposure.
Where is radiation found?
Most of it forms naturally from minerals. These radioactive minerals are in the ground, soil, water, and even our bodies. Background radiation can also come from outer space and the sun. Other sources are man-made, such as x-rays, radiation therapy to treat cancer, and electrical power lines.
Who discovered radiation?
Although it was Henri Becquerel that discovered the phenomenon, it was his doctoral student, Marie Curie, who named it: radioactivity. She would go on to do much more pioneering work with radioactive materials, including the discovery of additional radioactive elements: thorium, polonium, and radium.
Is radiation a gas?
Ionizing radiation comes from radioactive atoms, many of which occur naturally in the environment. Radioactive atoms, just like any other form of matter, can be gas, liquid, or solid.
What are the main sources of radiation?
The majority of background radiation occurs naturally from minerals and a small fraction comes from man-made elements. Naturally occurring radioactive minerals in the ground, soil, and water produce background radiation. The human body even contains some of these naturally-occurring radioactive minerals.
Is radiation a wave or a particle?
The radiation can be either in the form of wave or sometimes to be a beam of fast moving particles. The radiation is a defined as a type of energy that can travel through the space. If the radiation travels in the form of wave, then it is called the wave radiation.
Is all radiation light?
Sometimes we use the term ‘radiation’ when we mean ‘light’, and vice versa. In fact visible ‘light’ is a form of radiation, which can be defined as an energy that travels in the form of electromagnetic waves.
What is the most common form of radiation?
The most common form of radiation we are all familiar with is visible light. Light is energy that originates from a source and travels through space at the speed of … light!
What are the 4 type of waves?
- Mechanical waves.
- Electromagnetic waves.
- Matter waves.