Because of the 1986 explosion and fire in a reactor at theChernobyl nuclear power plant in northern Ukraine, part ofUkraine is contaminated with 137Cs, which undergoes beta-minusdecay with a half-life of 30.2 y. In 1996, the total activity of this contaminationover an area of 2.6 * 10^5 km2 was estimated to be 1 *10^16 Bq. Assume that the 137Cs is uniformly spread over that areaand that the beta-decay electrons travel either directly upward ordirectly downward. How many beta-decay electrons would you interceptwere you to lie on the ground in that area for 1 h (a) in 1996and (b) today?
Radioactive decay
The emission of energy to produce ionizing radiation is known as radioactive decay. Alpha, beta particles, and gamma rays are examples of ionizing radiation that could be released. Radioactive decay happens in radionuclides, which are imbalanced atoms. This periodic table's elements come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Several of these kinds are stable like nitrogen-14, hydrogen-2, and potassium-40, whereas others are not like uranium-238. In nature, one of the most stable phases of an element is usually the most prevalent. Every element, meanwhile, has an unstable state. Unstable variants are radioactive and release ionizing radiation. Certain elements, including uranium, have no stable forms and are constantly radioactive. Radionuclides are elements that release ionizing radiation.
Artificial Radioactivity
The radioactivity can be simply referred to as particle emission from nuclei due to the nuclear instability. There are different types of radiation such as alpha, beta and gamma radiation. Along with these there are different types of decay as well.
Because of the 1986 explosion and fire in a reactor at the
Chernobyl nuclear power plant in northern Ukraine, part of
Ukraine is contaminated with 137Cs, which undergoes beta-minus
decay with a half-life of 30.2 y. In 1996, the total activity of this contamination
over an area of 2.6 * 10^5 km2 was estimated to be 1 *10^16 Bq. Assume that the 137Cs is uniformly spread over that area
and that the beta-decay electrons travel either directly upward or
directly downward. How many beta-decay electrons would you intercept
were you to lie on the ground in that area for 1 h (a) in 1996
and (b) today?
Step by step
Solved in 2 steps with 2 images
