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Why are radioactive isotopes with long half lives particularly harmful?
They remain radioactive for much longer period of time
They must be stored in a specific ways to avoid humans and the environment from being exposed to the radiation
State the 2 uses of nuclear radiation in the field of medicine
Examine internal organ
Controlling and destroying unwanted tissue
Describe the nature of radioactive decay
Random
Which nuclei decays and when it decay is random
It is impossible to predict which nuclei will decay and when
Explain the basic idea being carbon dating
All living things contain the same relative amount of carbon-12.
When they die, the carbon decays at a known rate
By measuring the amount of carbon remaining, the age can be calculated
Explain how a medical radioactive tracer is used
The tracer is inserted in the body (often through bloodstream)
The tracer is radioactive so decays
A detector outside the body can detect this radiation and locate the tracer
What is the unit of radioactive activity
Bq
Define the activity of an unstable nucleus
Activity is the rate at which a source of unstable nuclei decays
What can be said about the half-life of a given radioactive isotope
It is constant
Define Half Life
The time it takes for the activity of a radioactive source to halve, or the time it takes for half the radioactive nuclei to decay.
Note 
Flashcard (34)