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Somebody explain background radiation to me | by SnappingTurtle | 2004-10-21 14:37:37 |
| As I understand it... |
by MaW |
2004-10-21 15:07:31 |
Radiation, as in the kind people usually mean when they say 'radiation' and are thinking of nuclear bombs or reactors, comes in three kinds: alpha particles, beta particles and gamma rays.
Alpha particles are actually helium nucleii (two protons, two neutrons). They're large, don't go very far (a matter of centimetres in air, and they have great difficulty getting through a sheet of paper) and thus aren't really all that dangerous, although they can cause some damage if they hit you in the wrong place. Which is unlikely.
Beta particles are electrons. They go further and do more damage.
Gamma rays are electromagnetic waves with a higher frequency than microwaves, thus packing more energy. They travel a long way and can do a lot of damage because of all that energy they're carrying around. They go through most things except really dense substances.
All three kinds are generally emitted by the decomposition of an atom into two other atoms (nuclear fission), although not all decays will emit all three kinds - it depends on what's decaying into what.
This is horribly simple, as it's as much as I understand.
Background radiation is all kinds of radiation, emitted by radioactive substances in the ground. These are generally naturally-occuring. A 'safe' level of radiation is one that can't cause more damage than your body is capable of dealing with by itself.
Background radiation is measured by all sorts of people, and yes, I imagine many of them keep plots of it. It's a public health thing in populated areas, after all. |
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