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Alpha, beta and gamma are types of ionising radiation (a) State two ways in which gamma radiation is different from alpha radiation - Edexcel - GCSE Physics - Question 6 - 2013 - Paper 1
Question 6
Alpha, beta and gamma are types of ionising radiation (a) State two ways in which gamma radiation is different from alpha radiation. (b) (i) Complete the sentence ... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:Alpha, beta and gamma are types of ionising radiation (a) State two ways in which gamma radiation is different from alpha radiation - Edexcel - GCSE Physics - Question 6 - 2013 - Paper 1
Step 1
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Step 4
Explain how an atom becomes ionised by radiation.
Answer
An atom becomes ionised when it absorbs enough energy from ionising radiation to remove one of its electrons. This loss of an electron results in the creation of a positively charged ion. The energy from different types of radiation varies; for example, gamma rays can penetrate deeper and transfer energy more efficiently to electrons compared to alpha particles, which are more likely to be absorbed.
Step 5
Explain why the readings in the three directions are different.
Answer
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Radiation from the front of the lens:
- Alpha particles are absorbed by the glass coating, while beta particles are emitted from the rear surface of the glass. Gamma rays can pass through freely, leading to higher readings from the front due to gamma radiation.
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Radiation from the side of the lens:
- Alpha particles cannot penetrate aluminium, beta particles are absorbed, and gamma rays can pass through. Therefore, the readings are significantly lower from this direction due to the absorption.
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Radiation from the back of the lens:
- Here, alpha particles are absorbed by the coating, but beta particles can be detected as they are emitted from the rear surface. There is a larger count from this direction due to the presence of both beta and gamma radiation taking into account the random nature of emissions.