Radiation
Answer:
Radiation has a profound effect on matter. Particularly in forms where it has high energy. There are basically two kinds of radiation, and they are electromagnetic energy and particulate radiation. Low energy electromagnetic radiation isn't generally hazardous, as long as the field strengths are low. You wouldn't want to stand in front of a radar antenna when it's radiating, but we are swept by low power electromagnet energy all the time. Those so-called radio waves are everywhere. Light is this kind of energy, too, and it's not too bad. But at higher energies, electromagnetic radiation is a hazard. Particulate radiation is straight up a problem. We often refer to particulate and high energy electromagnetic radiation as ionizing radiation, and both kinds have the ability to do some damage. Jump in the ride, fasten your seatbelt and we'll take a cruise into the quantum mechanical hood to check it out. Pay attention to the scenery along the way so you'll be up to speed when we get there.
Matter is composed of atoms. Atomic nuclei are tightly bound protons and neutrons (1H excepted) with electrons hanging out in the electron clouds around them. Also, there are chemical bonds between atoms in a lot of different kinds of matter. These bonds involve the borrowing and loaning of electrons (the so-called ionic bonds) or the sharing of electrons (the so-called covalent bonds). That's matter, and now we're going to see what happens when we shoot stuff at it. Incoming!
If electromagnetic (EM) radiation of sufficient energy slices into matter, things happen - and they ain't good. A general term for this high energy EM radiation is gamma rays. Sometimes we include the "hard" X-rays, the highest energy X-rays, in this group. The radiation can interact with chemical bonds, particularly the lower energy covalent bonds, and break them. If those bonds were in living material, this could (and does) affect injury. And if the molecules whose bonds are being broken are DNA,
Radiation has a profound effect on matter. Particularly in forms where it has high energy. There are basically two kinds of radiation, and they are electromagnetic energy and particulate radiation. Low energy electromagnetic radiation isn't generally hazardous, as long as the field strengths are low. You wouldn't want to stand in front of a radar antenna when it's radiating, but we are swept by low power electromagnet energy all the time. Those so-called radio waves are everywhere. Light is this kind of energy, too, and it's not too bad. But at higher energies, electromagnetic radiation is a hazard. Particulate radiation is straight up a problem. We often refer to particulate and high energy electromagnetic radiation as ionizing radiation, and both kinds have the ability to do some damage. Jump in the ride, fasten your seatbelt and we'll take a cruise into the quantum mechanical hood to check it out. Pay attention to the scenery along the way so you'll be up to speed when we get there.
Matter is composed of atoms. Atomic nuclei are tightly bound protons and neutrons (1H excepted) with electrons hanging out in the electron clouds around them. Also, there are chemical bonds between atoms in a lot of different kinds of matter. These bonds involve the borrowing and loaning of electrons (the so-called ionic bonds) or the sharing of electrons (the so-called covalent bonds). That's matter, and now we're going to see what happens when we shoot stuff at it. Incoming!
If electromagnetic (EM) radiation of sufficient energy slices into matter, things happen - and they ain't good. A general term for this high energy EM radiation is gamma rays. Sometimes we include the "hard" X-rays, the highest energy X-rays, in this group. The radiation can interact with chemical bonds, particularly the lower energy covalent bonds, and break them. If those bonds were in living material, this could (and does) affect injury. And if the molecules whose bonds are being broken are DNA,