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Year 11
AQA
Foundation

Uses of radiation

I can describe some uses of radiation and how it can be used safely.

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New
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Year 11
AQA
Foundation

Uses of radiation

I can describe some uses of radiation and how it can be used safely.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Radioactive contamination is the presence of unwanted radioactive atoms.
  2. A material being exposed to iodising radiation is being irradiated and does not become radioactive.
  3. Radioactive isotopes with short half-lives decay quickly, emitting most radiation over a short period of time.

Keywords

  • Irradiation - the effect of exposing an object to radiation

  • Radioactive contamination - the transfer of radioactive particles to an object or place

  • Radiation dose - a measure of risk of harm from a person’s exposure to radiation

  • Sievert (Sv) - the unit of radiation dose

  • Radiotherapy - a method for killing cancer cells using radiation

Common misconception

A material exposed to radiation will become radioactive.

Take time to clearly distinguish between radioactive contamination and irradiation.


To help you plan your year 11 physics lesson on: Uses of radiation, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

This lesson provides an opportunity to engage pupils with individual research projects to investigate the use of radiation in more detail. A clearly structured research task helps make this work more useful and focused on what pupils need to know for their examinations.
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Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
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Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

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Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which of the following are properties of alpha radiation?
weakly ionising
Correct answer: strongly ionising
Correct answer: least penetrating
most penetrating
Q2.
Which of the following are properties of gamma radiation?
Correct answer: weakly ionising
strongly ionising
least penetrating
Correct answer: most penetrating
Q3.
Which of the following statements about beta radiation are correct?
It is less ionising than alpha and gamma radiation.
Correct answer: It is less ionising than alpha and more ionising than gamma radiation.
It is more ionising than alpha and gamma radiation.
It is less penetrating than alpha and gamma radiation.
Correct answer: It is more penetrating than alpha and less penetrating than gamma radiation.
Q4.
Which type(s) of radiation can be stopped by a thin sheet of paper or skin?
Correct answer: alpha only
beta only
gamma only
alpha and beta
alpha, beta and gamma
Q5.
Which type(s) of radiation can be stopped by a few mm of aluminium or plastic?
alpha only
beta only
gamma only
Correct answer: alpha and beta
alpha, beta and gamma
Q6.
Match the following types of radiation to their typical range in air.
Correct Answer:alpha,a few centimetres
tick

a few centimetres

Correct Answer:beta,several metres
tick

several metres

Correct Answer:gamma,hundreds of metres
tick

hundreds of metres

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What is irradiation?
the transfer of radioactive particles to an object or place
Correct answer: the effect of exposing an object to radiation
a measure of risk of harm from a person’s exposure to radiation
a method for killing cancer cells using radiation
Q2.
What is contamination?
Correct answer: the transfer of radioactive particles to an object or place
the effect of exposing an object to radiation
a measure of risk of harm from a person’s exposure to radiation
a method for killing cancer cells using radiation
Q3.
Which of the following causes an object itself to become radioactive?
irradiation only
Correct answer: contamination only
both irradiation and contamination
Q4.
Match the following types of radiation to the correct uses.
Correct Answer:alpha,smoke alarms
tick

smoke alarms

Correct Answer:beta,controlling the thickness of paper
tick

controlling the thickness of paper

Correct Answer:gamma,irradiating food; radiotherapy
tick

irradiating food; radiotherapy

Q5.
Why are alpha sources unsuitable for medical imaging with radioactive substances injected into the body?
Correct answer: Alpha particles can’t penetrate body tissues.
Alpha sources are too weak for imaging.
Correct answer: Alpha particles are highly ionising and can cause significant damage to cells.
Alpha sources are not detectable by imaging equipment.
Q6.
What is radiation dose, and in what unit is it measured?
the rate of radiation emitted, measured in becquerels (Bq)
the total energy of radiation, measured in joules (J)
the intensity of radiation emitted, measured in watts (W)
Correct answer: the amount of radiation received, measured in sieverts (Sv)