Definition
Radiation: The term radiation includes the whole electromagnetic spectrum as well as all atomic and subatomic particles. Ionizing radiation refers to the ability of certain types of radiation to ionize the medium they traverse. Only ionizing radiation will be considered here.
Radioactivity: The spontaneous emission of particles or electromagnetic rays from unstable atomic nuclei.
Introduction
In 1895 Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen experimented with a Crooke’s tube, an evacuated glass enclosure in which current can be passed through a high vacuum from one electrode to another. He noticed that a small screen placed at some distance started fluorescing when the tube was on. Röntgen named the unknown radiation X-rays. He observed that they could penetrate paper and wood, but would be absorbed by aluminum and tin foil. Encouraged by Röntgen’s observations, Henri Becquerel experimented with uranium minerals which he placed on photographic plates. He found that the plates showed signs of...
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Bibliography
Benton, E. R., and Benton, E. V., 2001. Space radiation dosimetry in low-earth orbit and beyond. Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research B, 184, 255–294.
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General references
Ivanovich, M., and Harmon, R. S., 1992. Uranium-Series Disequilibrium: Applications to Earth, Marine, and Environmental Science. Oxford: Clarendon.
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DeWitt, R. (2015). Radiation and Radioactivity. In: Jack Rink, W., Thompson, J.W. (eds) Encyclopedia of Scientific Dating Methods. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6304-3_81
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