Level 5: Kinds of radiation

Radiation and the atom · level 5 of 8 · rough age 12-13 (a guide for parents; anyone can start anywhere)

Some nuclei are unstable. Sooner or later they break down and throw out radiation: alpha, beta or gamma. From space comes another kind, cosmic rays. This level meets each one, what it is made of and what stops it. It ends with the radiation a crew would meet on the way to Mars.

Lesson	You will be able to
Radioactive decay	Say what radioactivity is and why it can harm living things
Alpha	Describe alpha particles and write an alpha decay
Beta	Describe beta particles and write a beta decay
Gamma	Describe gamma rays and what slows them down
Cosmic rays	Say what cosmic rays are and what shields Earth from them
Radiation on the way to Mars	Compare the two kinds of space radiation a crew meets

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