Electromagnetic Spectrum and Particle Radiation

A range of electromagnetic waves with varying frequencies and wavelengths

Radiation that involves particles

Basic principles about how radiation behaves.

Diagnostic and therapeutic imaging techniques using radiation

The fundamental building blocks of matter

Creating X-rays for imaging

Safe practices to avoid harmful effects of radiation

How radiation affects things it encounters.

The energy of an electromagnetic wave is directly proportional to its frequency.

A fundamental constant (6.626 x 10^-34 joule-seconds) relating the energy of a photon to its frequency.

Energy (E) = Planck's constant (h) x frequency (f)

Energy of a wave is inversely proportional to its wavelength. Higher frequency means shorter wavelength, and vice versa.

Energy (E) = (Planck's constant (h) x speed of light (c)) / wavelength (λ)

A type of electromagnetic wave used for long-distance communication, carrying less energy.

Hertz (Hz)

Meters (m)

X-rays are a type of electromagnetic radiation with high energy and short wavelengths. They can penetrate objects, making them useful for medical imaging and other applications.

X-rays are absorbed differently by different materials. Dense materials like bones absorb more X-rays than soft tissues, creating shadows on the image, revealing bone structures.

X-rays are blocked by Earth's atmosphere. To study celestial objects emitting X-rays, we need telescopes placed in space.

Gamma rays have the highest energy and shortest wavelength of the electromagnetic spectrum. They are even more powerful than X-rays.

Gamma rays are produced by nuclear explosions, lightning, and radioactive decay. They can also be generated in medical treatments.

Gamma rays are so energetic that they can easily penetrate materials, even passing through atoms. This property makes them potentially dangerous.

Gamma rays can be used for various applications, including cancer treatment, food sterilization, and medical imaging.

Ionizing radiation includes high-energy electromagnetic waves like ultraviolet light, X-rays, and gamma rays. It can cause ionization by removing electrons from atoms.

A type of radioactive decay where a nucleus emits an alpha particle, which is a helium nucleus consisting of two protons and two neutrons. This occurs when a nucleus has a mass greater than 150 and has too many protons relative to neutrons.

An alpha particle is a helium nucleus, containing two protons and two neutrons. It has a positive charge due to the two protons.

Alpha decay occurs when a nucleus is unstable due to having too many protons and not enough neutrons, usually in heavier elements with atomic mass greater than 150.

A type of radioactive decay where a neutron within the nucleus transforms into a proton, emitting a beta minus particle (an electron) and an antineutrino. This occurs when a nucleus has too many neutrons.

In β- decay, a nucleus emits a beta minus particle (an electron) and an antineutrino.

β- decay occurs to balance the neutron-proton ratio within the nucleus when there are too many neutrons. This transformation changes a neutron into a proton.

During β- decay, the nucleus emits a beta minus particle (an electron) and an antineutrino, and a neutron transforms into a proton, increasing the atomic number of the element by one.

An antineutrino is a subatomic particle with no charge and nearly zero mass, emitted during beta minus decay.

A mathematical equation that describes the relationship between the speed, frequency, and wavelength of a wave. It is expressed as: speed = frequency x wavelength.

A portion of the electromagnetic spectrum that our eyes can detect, ranging from red to violet.

A type of high-energy electromagnetic radiation, with shorter wavelengths than visible light, capable of penetrating materials, making them useful for medical imaging.

The most energetic form of electromagnetic radiation in the spectrum, possessing the shortest wavelengths and highest frequencies, produced by nuclear reactions and radioactive decay.

The smallest unit of electromagnetic radiation, carrying energy in the form of light. It's massless and electrically neutral.

A photon's energy is directly proportional to its frequency. Higher frequency means higher energy.

An experiment where individual photons are fired through two slits, creating an interference pattern, revealing both wave and particle nature of light.

The concept that light exhibits both wave-like and particle-like properties, depending on how it's observed.

The emission of electrons from a metal surface when light shines on it. The energy of the photons interacts with the electrons, causing them to be ejected.

A process where a photon interacts with an electron, losing some of its energy and changing direction. It's like a collision between two particles.

The phenomenon where waves passing through two slits interfere, creating a pattern of bright and dark bands on a screen.

An experiment that showcased the wave nature of light. It revealed that light waves from two slits interfered with each other, creating a pattern on a screen.

In the single-photon double-slit experiment, although the photon's trajectory seems random, the pattern arises from the probability of finding the photon at different locations.