2. What is radioactivity?
● The release of high-energy particles and rays of energy from a
substance.
○ It gets released in three different ways called radioactive decay…
■ Alpha Decay
■ Gamma Decay
■ Beta Decay
● Natural Background radiation is the stream of high-energy particles or
waves that is found in our environment.
○ This radiation can possibly interact with an atom so that it forms
ions.
● What is radiation though?
○ Radiation is high energy rays and particles give off by radioactive
sources. Some examples are:
■ Microwaves
■ Radio waves
■ Visible light
3. Radiation
Radiation is a unique thing, it is always there but most is not visible to the
human eye… In the picture below the only ones that are visible are “visible
light”
●
The Hulk
was
turned
into the
Hulk
with
gamma
rays
4. Quiz!
Which of the following have the highest radiation?
● Radiowaves
● Microwaves
● XRays
Natural Background radiation is where?
● In man made objects
● In the environment
● Doesn’t exist
5. The atom...
● In an atom as you may know it is composed of 3 different subatomic
particles
○ Protons
■ These positively charged particles let you know which element it
is.
○ Neutrons
■ These have no charge but they help the nucleus stay together.
○ Electrons
■ Little negative charged particles that float around the nucleus.
● Now what would happen if we change the amounts of them?
6. Let’s change it up!
If we add more…
● Protons
○ Our element changes to another element.
● Electrons
○ The charge of the atom changes
● Neutrons
○ You get the Isotope of the element.
■ Hold on… what is an isotope….
7. Isotopes…
● An Isotope happens when an element has different amounts of neutrons.
○ Basically if you take Uranium-235 and you add 3 neutrons you get
Uranium-238
■ (Hint: the -XXX represents the Mass Number which is the
protons and the neutrons added together.
○ Not all Isotopes are stable!!!!!
■ That means that even though neutrons have no charge meaning it
does not turn more positive or negative, neutrons have a weight
and a roll in the nucleus…
■ Neutrons help hold the nucleus together! Now if you add too
much milk to your cereal it will overflow and just fall apart, it is
the same with your nucleus.
8. Going from unstable...
● An isotope that is unstable doesn’t stay unstable, it has something called
a half life, which is the time before the element undergoes some sort of
radioactive decay.
● Radioactive decay is the process in which an element goes from unstable
to stable. There are three paths that the element can take to decay.
○ Alpha decay
○ Beta decay
○ Gamma decay
9. ...To stable
Since were dealing with the hulk I will explain Gamma first…
● Gamma radiation is made out of high energy rays and short-wavelength
radiation. Now gamma radiation has NO CHARGE and NO MASS this is
important to know because when you do an equation with gamma you need
to note that there is no change to the element other than the energy
(represented by an *)
○ eg.
●
11. ● Beta decay is an electron
○ But, unlike gamma decay this does give off a particle, this is
because inside the nucleus there is one neutrons that suddenly
turns into a proton and an electron.
● Now while the proton stays inside the nucleus the electron shoots out
at high speed.
○ This process is easily stopped by a thin sheet of aluminum foil.
● Eg.
Beta Decay
12. Sadly The Amazing Hulk didn’t partake in beta decay but here just to start
off alpha decay here is a quick animation on what it is!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T92V4YtS5x0
No Hulk...
13. Alpha decay
Sadly, The Hulk only underwent gamma decay… now I wonder what would have
happened if it would have been alpha decay… hmmm… that makes me wonder
what is alpha decay? Well… this guy will explain it very well!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5TJRtJxVfs
He might have turned out like the red Hulk...
