radioactivity

By Sofia Foglia & Linda Bonvicini

Radioactivity

• it emits three types of radiation:

- alpha radiation (α)--> alpha particles that are large and have a positive charge - beta radiation (β)--> beta particles that can be electrons (β-) or positrons (β+). - gamma radiation (γ)--> is electromagnetic radiation (like x-rays) is highly penetrating. to stop it are used very hard metals like lead.

• spontaneous emission of particles/energy from the nucleus of an atom because of the instability

What is radioactivity

Carbon-14 is a radioactive isotope --> widely used in radioactive dating It's used to determine the age of ancient artefacts, because it measures the amount remaining in the sample. also used in --> archaeological fields/ environmental sciences.

Carbon-14 uses

applications in numerous fields: - medicine --> diagnostic purposes, nuclear imaging, PET scans--> allows to see internal organs and find diseases. - nuclear energy production--> controlled release of energy from the decay to generate electricity--> contributes to global power supplies.

Other uses of radioactivity