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What is radioactivity? Explore the difference between alpha, beta and gamma radiation and how their different properties can make them useful.Key facts
- Radioactivity is the nuclear decay of unstable elements.
- Alpha and beta rays are particulate radiation that can be stopped by something thicker than paper.
- Gamma rays are a type of electromagnetic radiation that is extremely penetrating.
- Radiation has risks, but it can also be useful in medicine.
Transcript
We are exposed to radiation every day.
From our mobile phones to cosmic radiation from the Sun.
But what is radiation?
James Piercy, Science Communicator – "Radiation is just energy travelling through space. So the heat coming out of your hairdryer you could say is radiation. The trouble is that what ...
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