PH 122 Lecture Notes - Radon, Ionizing Radiation, Beta Particle
Document Summary
When the uranium that is reasonably ubiquitous in the earth"s crust decays, it produces a long series of further decays. There are two especially notable decay products being formed: radium (ra), a metal, and radon (rn), which is a noble gas. Radium, having the short half-life that it does, is very radioactive. Alpha particles helium nuclei, two protons and two neutrons. Geiger-m ller tube gas-filled tube held at very high voltage. Ionizing radiation passes through tube knocks electrons free from gas. Ionized particles drawn to anode or cathode, ionizing other atoms along the way. Avalanche of charges produces short but intense current, making clicking sound. Radioactivity measured by measuring decays of individual atoms. Estimate of number of counts in some interval = n n. The more you count, the more the error, but the relative error is less. Alpha particles, beta particles damage by ionizing atoms that they pass in a body.
