Radioactivity Active Recall QUESTIONS:
1. How was the structure of the atom
discovered by Ernest Rutherford?
2. What did the experimental set up
consist of in the alpha particle
scattering practical?
3. What were Rutherford’s results for
the scattering experiment? (3
findings)
4. What did it suggest when the
majority of alpha particles went
straight through the gold foil?
5. What did it suggest when some
particles were deflected through
small angles less than 10 degrees?
6. What did it suggest when a small
number of alpha particles deflected
straight back at angles of greater
than 90 degrees?
7. How has the structure of an atom
changed over time? Describe the
changes from John Dalton’s model,
JJ Thompson’s Model, Rutherford’s
Model, Bohr’s Model and the
Quantum Mechanical Model.
8. Rank beta, alpha and gamma from
most to least ionising
9. Rank beta, gamma and alpha from
most to least penetrating
10.What are helium particles made up
of?
11.When are alpha particles emitted?
12.Where are alpha particles emitted
from?
13.What is the most ionising type of
radiation?
14.Why is alpha the most ionising type
of radiation?
15.Why is alpha able to do more
damage to cells than any other
types of radiation?
16.What does it mean for alpha to be
the least penetrating type of
radiation?
17.What range does alpha have in air?
18.What barrier can stop alpha?
19.What are beta minus particles?
20.What are beta positive particles?
21.Where do beta particles get
emitted from?
22.Why are beta minus particles
emitted?
23.Why are beta positive particles
, emitted?
24.What kind of ionising is beta?
25.Why is beta only a moderately
ionising type of radiation?
26.What kind of penetrating is beta?
27.What is the range of beta particles
in air?
28.What barrier can stop beta
particles?
29.What are gamma rays?
30.Why are gamma rays emitted?
31.If a gamma ray hits another atom,
what does it do to the particles
within an atom and what does it do
overall to the atom?
32.If gamma transfers energy to other
atoms, what does this make them
do to materials and cells?
33.Which type of radiation is least
ionising?
34.Why is gamma the least ionising?
35.Why is gamma used in cancer
radiotherapy, but beta and alpha
aren’t?
36.What is the most penetrating type
of radiation?
37.What is the range of a gamma ray?
38.What barrier can stop gamma?
39.What law does gamma radiation
follow?
40.How is an alpha source used in
smoke detectors?
41.How is radiation used in thickness
controls of materials?
42.Which radiation type is used to
determine the thickness of
materials?
43.Why is alpha used in thickness
control?
44.Why isn’t gamma used in thickness
control?
45.What property of radiation must
the beta have which ensures it
won’t need to be maintained or
replaced often?
46.What is an inverse square law?
47.How can the intensity of gamma
radiation be found out?
48.How can the intensity for radiation
at two different points be
calculated?
49.What is background radiation?
50.What are the two type4s of
1. How was the structure of the atom
discovered by Ernest Rutherford?
2. What did the experimental set up
consist of in the alpha particle
scattering practical?
3. What were Rutherford’s results for
the scattering experiment? (3
findings)
4. What did it suggest when the
majority of alpha particles went
straight through the gold foil?
5. What did it suggest when some
particles were deflected through
small angles less than 10 degrees?
6. What did it suggest when a small
number of alpha particles deflected
straight back at angles of greater
than 90 degrees?
7. How has the structure of an atom
changed over time? Describe the
changes from John Dalton’s model,
JJ Thompson’s Model, Rutherford’s
Model, Bohr’s Model and the
Quantum Mechanical Model.
8. Rank beta, alpha and gamma from
most to least ionising
9. Rank beta, gamma and alpha from
most to least penetrating
10.What are helium particles made up
of?
11.When are alpha particles emitted?
12.Where are alpha particles emitted
from?
13.What is the most ionising type of
radiation?
14.Why is alpha the most ionising type
of radiation?
15.Why is alpha able to do more
damage to cells than any other
types of radiation?
16.What does it mean for alpha to be
the least penetrating type of
radiation?
17.What range does alpha have in air?
18.What barrier can stop alpha?
19.What are beta minus particles?
20.What are beta positive particles?
21.Where do beta particles get
emitted from?
22.Why are beta minus particles
emitted?
23.Why are beta positive particles
, emitted?
24.What kind of ionising is beta?
25.Why is beta only a moderately
ionising type of radiation?
26.What kind of penetrating is beta?
27.What is the range of beta particles
in air?
28.What barrier can stop beta
particles?
29.What are gamma rays?
30.Why are gamma rays emitted?
31.If a gamma ray hits another atom,
what does it do to the particles
within an atom and what does it do
overall to the atom?
32.If gamma transfers energy to other
atoms, what does this make them
do to materials and cells?
33.Which type of radiation is least
ionising?
34.Why is gamma the least ionising?
35.Why is gamma used in cancer
radiotherapy, but beta and alpha
aren’t?
36.What is the most penetrating type
of radiation?
37.What is the range of a gamma ray?
38.What barrier can stop gamma?
39.What law does gamma radiation
follow?
40.How is an alpha source used in
smoke detectors?
41.How is radiation used in thickness
controls of materials?
42.Which radiation type is used to
determine the thickness of
materials?
43.Why is alpha used in thickness
control?
44.Why isn’t gamma used in thickness
control?
45.What property of radiation must
the beta have which ensures it
won’t need to be maintained or
replaced often?
46.What is an inverse square law?
47.How can the intensity of gamma
radiation be found out?
48.How can the intensity for radiation
at two different points be
calculated?
49.What is background radiation?
50.What are the two type4s of
