The discovery of radioactive rocks was unexpected but when physicists attempted to discover how far the new “penetrating rays” could reach, they were in for an even bigger surprise. Henri Becquerel’s discovery that uranium salts emit penetrating radiation was one of science’s great “accidents”. Uranium was first identified in 1789 but it was a century … Continue reading Radiation and Altitude
Gamma Radiation
Of the three types of nuclear radiation discussed at GCSE level, gamma is definitely the unsung hero. Alpha and beta get plenty of limelight because they have both mass and charge, so they feature prominently in nuclear decay equations (as explained previously, here). But gamma radiation is a wave rather than a particle, so it … Continue reading Gamma Radiation
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