form of radiometric dating which tells us the absolute age of rocks. Practically all elements are radioactive to some extent‚ some more than others. Moreover‚ different isotopes of elements are more radioactive than others. Isotopes are forms of a particular atom that varies in the number of neutrons in the nucleus. For instance‚ K-40 is a naturally occurring isotope of Potassium is far more radioactive than its siblings K-39 and K-41 because K-40 is much less stable. K-40 has a half-life of approximately
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still have the same number of protons‚ all these isotopes of an element have identical chemical behavior. But since they have different numbers of neutrons‚ these isotopes of the same element may have different radioactivity. An isotope that is radioactive is called a radioisotope or radionuclide. Two examples may help clarify this.The most stable isotope of uranium‚ U-238‚ has an atomic number of 92 (protons) and an atomic weight of 238 (92 protons plus 146 neutrons). The isotope of uranium of greatest
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medical uses the patient is injected with the radioactive isotope‚ it is important that the dose is minimal and that low levels of radiation are emitted and therefore not remain long in the body. The radioactive isotope needs to have a very short-half life and is used to irradiate and kill cancer cells within the patient. The rays emitted have to be carefully targeted so that it doesn’t kill the surrounding healthy tissue. Radioactive Waste: Radioactive waste needs to be stored safely for long periods
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enough energy to ionize atoms in the material it interacts with. Examples of non-ionizing radiation include: • microwaves • visible light • radio waves • TV waves • Ultraviolet radiation (except for the very shortest wavelengths) The earth has been radioactive ever since its formation into a solid mass over 4½ billion years ago. However‚ we have only known about radiation and radioactivity for just over one hundred years. [One hundred and four years and 10 months to be exact.] You are probably familiar
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Carbon-14 (or Carbon-14)‚ and the amount that is left after a certain amount of decay in a nonliving organism. All livings things keep up a certain content of Carbon-14 in their equilibrium with what is available in the atmosphere‚ up until the moment it dies. Once death occurs‚ the carbon begins to decay. This is a fairly slow process of decay which is why we are able to date things that are so old. The rate at which this decay occurs is at a half life rate of 5‚730 years. This means that it takes 5
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elements‚ oldest star clusters‚ as well as white dwarf stars. Scientists also try to find the universes rate of expansion‚ and behavior of globular clusters‚ which are spherical collection of stars. In order to find this‚ scientists can use radioactive decay to determine how old a given mixture of atoms is in rock samples. In order to find the rate of expansion of the universe‚ The Hubble constant was the basic cosmological model dependent on density and composition of the universe. Some formulas
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will tell why this advance was important and how it still impacts us today. Radioactivity is the spontaneous breakdown of an atom by emission of particles and/or radiation. Since then‚ any element that spontaneously emits radiation is said to be radioactive. The definition of radiation is the emission and transmission of energy through space in the form of waves. A wave can be thought of as a vibrating disturbance by which energy is transmitted. Waves are characterized by their length and height
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patients (Benefits and Problems of Radioisotopes). Since 99mTc has a half-life of 6.03 hours‚ it’s beneficial because it lasts long enough for doctors to get all the scans needed and it doesn’t stay in the body for a long period of time because it decays quickly (Garlow‚ 2012). There are also some disadvantages because after 99mTc is used its waste requires disposal which can harm aquatic and terrestrial organism (Benefits and Problems of Radioisotopes). It can cause damage to health if not stored
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Uranium is a naturally occurring and abundant radionuclide with a half-life of approximately 4.5 billion years. Since uranium is an unstable element‚ it decays by ejecting alpha particles in order to become stable. Through this decay process radon and other radioisotopes are produced‚ however this paper will focus on radon and its prodigies. Radon is an alpha particle with a half-life of 3.8 days‚ and it has minimal potential for damage outside
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increases shelf life and kill off any pathogens present in the food. This allows for safer foods‚ and lowers costs due to spoiling‚ but may also break up vitamins or nutrients in the food‚ decreasing its nutritional value. Even minute amounts of radioactive material can be detected easily‚ which makes it ideal for use in tracing the movements of water‚ gases or even insects. In particular‚ the use of radio-tracers for leak detection in industry has made it possible to quickly locate and fix the leak
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