The three types of nuclear emission

What the syllabus asks of you

• Describe the emission of radiation from a nucleus as spontaneous and random in direction
• Identify alpha (α), beta (β) and gamma (γ) 3 Describe the deflection of α-particles, emissions from the nucleus by recalling: β-particles and γ-radiation in electric fields and (a) their nature magnetic fields (b) their relative ionising effects (c) their relative penetrating abilities (β+ are not included, β-particles will be taken to refer to β–) 4 Explain their relative ionising effects with reference to: (a) kinetic energy (b) electric charge