Watch the following video about nuclear radiation which covers the history of its discovery, explains the different types of radiation, and the effect of radiation on living things and the environment: Nuclear Radiation VideoLinks to an external site. https://fod-infobase-com.eu1.proxy.openathens.net/p_ViewVideo.aspx?xtid=52674
Cathode-ray tubes consist of two metal plates sealed in a glass tube from which most of the air has been evacuated. When the metal plates are connected to a high-voltage source, the negatively charged plate, called the cathode, emits an invisible ray. The cathode ray is drawn to the positively charged plate, called the anode, where it passes through a hole and continues traveling to the other end of the tube. When the ray strikes the specially phosphor-coated surface, it produces bright light.
In 1895, Wilhelm RöntgenLinks to an external site. a German physicist discovered that cathode rays caused glass and metals to emit another type of ray. This highly energetic radiation could penetrate matter, darken covered photographic plates, and cause some substances to fluoresce (give off light). Unlike cathode rays, these rays were not deflected by a magnet meaning that they did not contain charged particles. Röntgen called them X-rays due to their mysterious nature. https://www.aps.org/apsnews/2001/11/roentgen-discovery-x-rays.
Shortly after, Antoine BecquerelLinks to an external site. a French physicist while studying the fluorescent properties of some substances, discovered that exposing wrapped photographic plates to a uranium compound caused them to darken. Like the X-rays, the rays from the uranium compound were highly energetic and could not be deflected by a magnet, however unlike X-rays they were emitted spontaneously. https://www.aps.org/apsnews/2008/02/becquerel-discovers-radioactivity
Marie CurieLinks to an external site. one of Becquerel’s students at the time, suggested the name of radioactivity to describe the spontaneous emission of particle and/or radiation from elements. There are three types of rays produced by the spontaneous breakdown, or decay, of substances such as uranium. Alpha (α) rays consist of positively charged particles, Beta (β) rays which are electrons negatively charged particles and Gamma (γ) rays which are high energy radiation. https://www.nobelprize.org/womenwhochangedscience/stories/marie-curie
https://fod-infobase-com.eu1.proxy.openathens.net/p_ViewVideo.aspx?xtid=7915
Write a short essay or paragraph of at least 300 words.
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