Pearson Edexcel International GCSE in Physics · 4PH1
Topic 7 · Radioactivity and particles
Inside the nucleus: alpha, beta and gamma radiation, nuclear equations, half-life, background radiation, the dangers and uses, and fission and fusion.
9 lessons, covering 26 specification statements: 7.1 · 7.2 · 7.3 · 7.4 · 7.5 · 7.6 · 7.7 · 7.8 · 7.9 · 7.10 · 7.11 · 7.12 · 7.13 · 7.14 · 7.15 · 7.16 · 7.17 · 7.18 · 7.19 · 7.20 · 7.21 · 7.22 · 7.23 · 7.24 · 7.25 · 7.26
The lessons
- Atomic Structure and Isotopes — A nucleus ten thousand times smaller than the atom around it, and why two atoms of the same element can weigh different amounts. (7.1, 7.2, 7.3)
- Alpha, Beta and Gamma — Three emissions from unstable nuclei, arriving at random — and why the one that is easiest to stop is the one to be most careful with. (7.4, 7.5, 7.6)
- Nuclear Equations — What each kind of decay does to the numbers — and why losing a negative particle makes the charge go up. (7.7, 7.8)
- Detecting Radiation and Background — How you measure something invisible, and why the counter clicks even with no source in the room. (7.9, 7.10)
- Half-Life — Half of what is left, every time — which is why a radioactive sample never quite runs out. (7.11, 7.12, 7.13)
- Uses and Dangers of Radiation — Choosing a source by its half-life and its penetration — and the difference between being irradiated and being contaminated. (7.14, 7.15, 7.16)
- Nuclear Fission — A single neutron splits a nucleus in half, and the pieces weigh less than what you started with. (7.17, 7.18, 7.19)
- Chain Reactions and Reactors — Two or three neutrons from every split — and the two entirely different jobs a reactor does to them. (7.20, 7.21, 7.22)
- Nuclear Fusion — How the Sun works, and why it is so hard to make it happen anywhere else. (7.23, 7.24, 7.25, 7.26)