Radioactivity

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A knowledge of this topic can be essential.

Most elements do not change unless a force is applied to them that causes them to join with another element.

They are said to be stable. Some elements are not stable Their nuclei are constantly breaking down, or decaying, as they shed particles in an attempt to become stable. This is called radioactivity, and the particles that are given off are know as radiation. These types of particles are known to be emitted; alpha. Beta and gamma rays.

Radioactve radiation is named after three letters of the Greek alphabet: alpha, beta, and gamma.

The half-life of a radioactive substance is a measure of the rate at which the nuclei of its atoms are breaking up or decaying. It is the time it takes for half the atoms in a sample to decay. The mushroom shape of the cloud produced by a nuclear explosion is now a familiar image. With the development of nuclear weapons, human beings for the first time possessed the power to destroy the living world within seconds.

Nuclear fusion releases so much energy that it is hard to control. At the moment, only nuclear fission is used to give nuclear power. Transmitters are used when measuring radiation