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Tag Archives: radioactivity
The most radioactive parts of the UK
The average radioactive background dose in the UK is 2.7 millisieverts. Of this 2.7 mSv, 1.35 mSv comes from radioactive radon gas leaking out of the ground. This radioactive radon (Rn-222) is produced by the decay of uranium-238, after a series of intermediate … Continue reading
Tagged radioactivity, radon
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Potassium iodide pills are radioactive
Matter is made of atoms, and atoms are made of protons, neutrons and electrons. The protons are positively charged, the electrons are negatively charged and (as their name suggests) the neutrons are neutral, having no charge. For every atom, the … Continue reading
Tagged nuclear, radioactivity
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Understanding radioactive dose
If someone says something is “very radioactive”, what do they actually mean? How do you measure “radioactiveness”? There are many terms used in physics to describe radioactive decay and each has a specific use. (Throughout this post I’ll be using … Continue reading
Tagged dose, hazard, radioactivity
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How does the damage caused by exposure to radiation vary as the dose of radiation increases?
Most people assume that if you double the amount of radiation you double the damage caused, and that there is no threshold below which no damage is done. This is called the Linear No Threshold (LNT) model and is represented … Continue reading
Tagged health, nuclear, radioactivity, safety
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Dice nuclei
Following on from the ETAW post about Radioactive Dice, I started thinking about a special class of nucleus that I’m calling “dice nuclei”: a die nucleus is one that has the same decay constant as a particular die [1]. In the … Continue reading
Tagged dice, radioactivity
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ETAW: Radioactive Dice
This is number 2 in an irregular series of Experiments That Actually Work [previously]. Using dice to simulate unstable (radioactive) nuclei is a common physics experiment. In the same way that an unstable nucleus has a chance of decaying every second, … Continue reading
Tagged ETAW, experiment, practical, radioactivity
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Nuclear Playset
The Gilbert Atomic Energy Lab was the most elaborate nuclear educational set ever produced. The kit included: Uranium ore Polonium-210 Ruthenium-106 Zinc-65 Lead-210 Spinthariscope Electroscope Geiger counter You can find more amazing radioactive toys at the Oak Ridge Associated Universities Health Physics … Continue reading
Tagged radioactivity
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