Nowadays known three types of radiation: alpha, beta, gamma.
How are they formed?
All of these types of emissions are the product of the decay of isotopes of simple substances.The atoms of the elements consist of a nucleus and electrons that revolve around it.The nucleus of the atom is less than a hundred thousand times, but due to the extremely high density, its mass is almost equal to the total mass of the atom.As part of the nucleus are positively charged particles - protons and neutrons have an electric charge.And those and others are linked to each other very closely.According to the number of protons in the nucleus and determine to what exactly the chemical element the atom is, for example, - 1 proton in the nucleus is the hydrogen protons 8 - oxygen-92 proton - uranium.The number of electrons in the atom corresponds to the number of protons in its nucleus.Each electron is inherent negative electric charge equal to the charge of a proton, for this reason, a whole atom is neutral.
Those atoms that have the same nucleus the number of protons but different number of neutrons are variants of the same chemical and called its isotopes.In order to somehow distinguish them to the character is an element attribute to the number that is the sum of all the particles in the nucleus of this isotope.For example, the core element 238 includes 92 protons and neutrons 146, and uranium-235, just 92 protons, neutrons but already 143. Most unstable isotopes.For example, uranium-238, the relationship between protons and neutrons in the nucleus is very weak and eventually separated from it a compact unit consisting of a pair of neutrons and a pair of protons, transforming 238 into another element - thorium-234, is also unstable element,the core of which contains 144 neutrons and 90 protons.It will continue to decay chain reactions that stop the formation of the lead atom.During each of these decay energy is released, generating different types of radioactive radiations.
If simplify things, then we can describe the appearance of different types of radiation: alpha rays emits core which consists of a pair of neutrons and a pair of protons, beta-rays emanate from an electron.And there are situations in which the isotope is excited so that the yield of the particles was not fully stabilized, and then he throws a portion of the excess clean energy, a process called gamma radiation.These types of radiation such as gamma rays, X-ray and the like, are formed without the emission of particulate material.The time it takes for half the atoms decay of any given isotope in any radioactive sources, referred to as the half-life.The process of nuclear transformations is continuous, and its activity is estimated the number of occurred decays per second and is measured in becquerels (one atom per second).
Different types of radiation are characterized by the release of a different amount of energy and penetrating power have also different, so the tissue of living organisms, they also act differently.
Alpha radiation is a stream of heavy particles, can hold even a piece of paper, it can not penetrate the layer of dead cells of the epidermis.It is not harmful as long as materials that emit alpha particles will not penetrate into the body through wounds or through the food and / or respiratory air.That's when they become extremely dangerous.
Beta radiation can penetrate 1-2 cm into the tissue of a living organism.
gamma rays, which travel at the speed of light, the most dangerous and can only delay their thick slab of lead or concrete.
All types of radiation can cause damage to the living body, and they will be the greater, the more energy was transferred to the tissues.
At various accidents at nuclear facilities and during the fighting with the use of nuclear weapons, affecting factors, affects the body, it is important to consider the complex.In addition to the obvious physical effects on humans are also adversely different types of electromagnetic radiation.
