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Topic 6: Radioactivity

8 dot points across 8 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

What is background radiation, where does it come from, and how is radioactivity detected?

Background radiation and detection: the meaning and sources of background radiation from Earth and space, and detecting radioactivity with photographic film and a Geiger-Muller tube.
A focused answer to Edexcel GCSE Physics 6.12 to 6.14, covering what background radiation is, its main sources from the Earth (rocks, radon) and from space (cosmic rays), and how radioactivity is measured and detected using photographic film and a Geiger-Muller tube.
8 min answer →

What is half-life, and how do you use it to find how much of a sample remains?

Half-life: the definition of half-life, the random nature of decay, and using half-life to calculate the activity or amount of radioactive material remaining.
A focused answer to Edexcel GCSE Physics on half-life, covering the definition of half-life, the random nature of radioactive decay, activity and the becquerel, and how to calculate the fraction or amount of a radioactive sample remaining after a number of half-lives, with worked calculations.
10 min answer →

What are isotopes and ions, and how are nuclei represented by symbols?

Isotopes and ions: atomic and mass number notation, what makes isotopes of an element, and how atoms become ions by losing or gaining electrons.
A focused answer to Edexcel GCSE Physics 6.3, 6.4, 6.6 and 6.9, covering atomic (proton) number and mass (nucleon) number notation, the definition of isotopes as atoms with the same protons but different neutrons, and how atoms form positive ions by losing electrons.
9 min answer →

How do you write balanced nuclear equations for alpha and beta decay?

Nuclear decay equations: how the mass and atomic numbers change in alpha, beta-minus and beta-plus decay and gamma emission, and balancing nuclear equations.
A focused answer to Edexcel GCSE Physics on nuclear decay equations, covering how the mass (nucleon) number and atomic (proton) number change in alpha, beta-minus and beta-plus decay and gamma emission, and how to balance a nuclear equation, with worked examples.
10 min answer →

What are nuclear fission and fusion, and how do they release energy?

Nuclear fission and fusion: the splitting of large nuclei in a chain reaction, the joining of small nuclei in stars, and how each releases energy.
A focused answer to Edexcel GCSE Physics on nuclear fission and fusion, covering the splitting of a large nucleus by a neutron, the chain reaction in a reactor, the joining of small nuclei in stars, the energy released, and the difference between the two processes.
9 min answer →

What is the structure of the atom, and how did the nuclear model develop?

The nuclear model of the atom: protons, neutrons and electrons, the size of the atom and nucleus, the relative masses and charges, and electron energy levels.
A focused answer to Edexcel GCSE Physics 6.1 to 6.8, covering the structure of the atom (positive nucleus of protons and neutrons surrounded by electrons), the sizes of atoms and nuclei, the relative masses and charges of the particles, and how electrons change energy level by absorbing or emitting radiation.
9 min answer →

What are the types of nuclear radiation, and how do they compare in penetration and ionisation?

Types of nuclear radiation: alpha, beta-minus, beta-plus, gamma and neutron radiation, their nature, and their penetrating and ionising powers.
A focused answer to Edexcel GCSE Physics 6.10, 6.11, 6.15 and 6.16, covering the types of radiation emitted from unstable nuclei (alpha, beta-minus, beta-plus, gamma and neutron), what each is, and how alpha, beta and gamma compare in penetrating power and ionising ability.
9 min answer →

How is radioactivity used safely, and what is the difference between irradiation and contamination?

Uses and dangers of radiation: medical and industrial uses, the difference between irradiation and contamination, and the precautions that reduce the dangers.
A focused answer to Edexcel GCSE Physics on the uses and dangers of radioactivity, covering medical uses (tracers, treating cancer, sterilising), industrial uses, the difference between irradiation and contamination, and how the dangers are reduced by shielding, distance and time.
9 min answer →