Idea 5of 7Builds onSame element, different nucleus
Three kinds of leak
A nucleus throws something out. Does paper stop it?
Today you'll discover
- what an unstable nucleus can throw out
- what paper, a metal plate and a lead block each stop
- why the harmless kind outside is the dangerous kind inside
Think firstA source, then paper, aluminium and lead in a row
An unstable nucleus throws something out. Will one sheet of paper stop it?
Decide first, then press Next. Follow each track and see where it stops.
A source at the left with three tracks running right through a sheet of paper, a plate of aluminium and a block of lead. After a prediction, the first track is shown stopping at the paper, the second at the aluminium, and the third thinning in the lead, then the three are named. The last step asks why an alpha source is dangerous once swallowed.
See the whole ideathe big idea and the key word, in one place
The big idea
Three kinds of leak, three ranges: paper, aluminium, lead.
Easy to get wrongPenetration and harm are different questions. The kind that paper stops is the most damaging kind to have inside you, exactly because it stops so soon.
Key word
- nuclear radiation
- the particles or rays an unstable nucleus emits as it decays: alpha (two protons and two neutrons), beta (an electron) and gamma (a high-energy ray)
About this modelNuclei are drawn a million times too large relative to the atom, and the energy rays are a symbol, not a picture of light.
Nuclei are drawn a million times too large relative to the atom, and the energy rays are a symbol, not a picture of light.
Ready to use it?
- Name the three kinds of nuclear radiation, what stops each, and where each is most dangerous.