First of all what is a Gamma Ray? A gamma ray is a high energy ionized radiation (EPA). Gamma photons have about 10,000 times more energy as photons (EPA). Along with that gamma rays wavelengths are so short they have to be measured in nanometers (EPA). They also are the strongest type of radiation which makes them the most dangerous. How are Gamma rays dangerous? A gamma-ray photon has enough energy to damage atoms in your body and make them radioactive (Christian, Eric). Gamma ray radiation also causes murderous burn, breast and a lung and thyroid cancer, genetics illnesses (Asiye, Gul). But when did we even discover gamma rays? In 1896 Henri Becquerel, a French Physicist, discovered gamma rays, he called it metallic phosphorescence (EPA). Becquerel had found gamma radiation being emitted by radium (EPA).
There is quite a bit of history involving gamma ray radiation. We have learned that gamma rays that come from space are mostly absorbed by Earth's atmosphere, which means that gamma ray astronomy couldn’t be developed until we could study it from the outside (Mattson, Barbra). The first gamma ray telescope was made and sent into space in 1961, as it turns out it picked up less than 100 gamma ray photons that seemed to be coming from all directions in the universe (Mattson, Barbra). The first successful detection of gamma ray radiation in space was in 1967 by the gamma ray detector aboard the OSO-3 satellite, it detected 621 dealings with gamma rays (Mattson, Barbra). Later on the SAS-2 and COS-B satellites provided more gamma ray radiation data (Mattson, Barbra). The data from these satellites confirmed earlier data found on the gamma rays background, it also produced the first detailed map of the sky at gamma ray wave le...
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...mma-Rays radiation(Can Lasers). They claim it blocks gamma ray radiation 99% of the time versus using lead or concrete blocks to protect us from gamma ray radiation.
In conclusion, gamma rays, I have learned, are dangerous but sometimes useful. There has been a great deal of research put into studying gamma rays and gamma ray radiation. Gamma rays have a tremendous amount of energy and their wave lengths are very small. I would have never thought there was something like gamma rays that could cause cancers.
Works Cited
Christian,Eric. “Ask An Astrophysicist”. NASA’s Imagine the Universe. NASA.1998. Web. 13 Nov 2013.
EPA. “Radiation Protection”. US Environmental Protection Agency. EPA. 2013. Web. 13 Nov 2013.
Packham, Brad. Personal Interview. 13 Nov 2013
Asyie, Gul. “Hybrid Polymer Gamma Ray Shielding Material”. Can Lasers A.S. Can Lasers A.S. Web. 13 Nov 2013.
Perkins, Ceri. "Dark Lightning Sheds Light on Gamma-ray Mystery." physicsworld.com. N.p., 17 Apr. 2013. Web. 7 Apr. 2014.
Rahman, Anatol. "New Material Can Make Ultra-light And Better Bulletproof Armor." The Tech Journal RSS. 13 Nov. 2012. Web. 10 May 2014.
Technetium, as with other radioactive material there is the chance of cancer, and other health conditions from exposure to radioactivity.
Cosmic rays are to scientists much like photons are to astronomers. Just as astronomers use light (or photons) to view our galaxy and beyond, scientists use cosmic rays to infer useful properties about our galaxy. In fact, cosmic rays offer one of the few ways in which scientists can actually sample real matter outside of our solar system. By identifying the various nuclei that are dispersed throughout our Galaxy, scientists hope to unravel the mechanisms that actually produce these nuclei -- from stellar nucleosynthesis to nucleosynthesis within supernovae to nuclear fragmentation. Just think, the iron in your blood came from a supernova billions of years ago in our solar neighborhood! To measure cosmic rays directly, before they have been slowed down and broken up by the atmosphere, research is carried out by instruments carried on spacecraft and high altitude balloons, using particle detectors similar to those used in nuclear and high energy physics experiments. However, there are other means of studying cosmic rays that reveal new information.. An analysis of cosmic rays using a cloud chamber reveals a connection between frequency and altitude.
Fishman, G. J., & Meegan, C. A. (2005). Gamma-Ray Bursts. Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics, 33, 415.
The Radium Girls was the nickname given to hundreds of young women who worked in clock factories in the early 1900s in the U.S. and in Canada. The women painted and sold over 1,000,000 watch dials with a luminous radium paint to make them glow in the dark. The girls were referred to as the Ghost Girls in their time because they would physically shine at nighttime due to the radium on their skin from the factories. They also licked their paint brushes every time they picked them up after making a mark on the watch dials to make a finer tip on the brush. The ingestion of radium caused devastating side effects for the girls because of the gamma radiation that radium emits (Moore, 2017). Gamma radiation refers to gamma rays which can cause stochastic (random) health risks such as cancer.
Additionally, a vibranium made costume can block firearm projectiles. Finally, this same material is used prevent the
Radiation is something that the naked eye cannot see, yet has the potential to save lives one treatment at a time or even one image at a time. Since the discovery of x-rays in 1895, it has branched out into numerous modalities each independently specializing in their own ways. X rays are used to aid in the diagnosis and treatments of patients on a case by case scenario. Sometimes doctors can make a diagnosis on the same day or conclude that a patient will require radiation therapy within weeks to follow. Whatever it may be, the importance of x rays and radiation itself is a crucial part of the medical field when it comes to saving lives. Initially it all started with the discovery of x rays but then three years later radiation therapy was introduced to aid with
Without this simple device, many lives would have been lost to fires. Along with smoke detectors, nuclear technology is also used in the wide world of medicine. Chemotherapy is one of the leading ways to combat cancer growth and is helping to extend the lives, and even curing, patients everywhere. While radiation in food production may at first sound like an off-putting idea, radiation is already being used to better grow the world’s farming capabilities by expanding many countries crop outputs. Nuclear technology is everywhere, and that is not a bad
Discovering the elements, polonium and radium, Marie Curie considerably affected society in various ways. Polonium became utilized in small mobile radiation appliances. For example, it was applied in the radiation sources that initiated heart pacemakers, which assisted the heart to beat more regularly (Felder 9). In addition, the radiation sources applied to manage static electricity contain polonium, which reduced the enormous number of fires and explosions in numerous industries. As a result, safe industries were established, preventing a multitude of deaths (Felder 9). Furthermore, radium impacted society positively as well. Since radium is capable of emitting light, it was utilized in nightlights. Moreover, health spas sprouted, pleasing both men and women. Radium mud and water arose from radium and became used in the spas (Crezo). They left the skin feeling soft and looking healthy. After a while, radium cream developed and flourished society. Furthermore, radium was utilized in chocolate, toothpaste, and makeup before the risks were revealed (Crezo). In addition, radium also emits gamma rays, which killed cancerous cells. Thus, it became used to treat medical conditions such as cancer (“Radium Uses”)
Radiation has always been in everyday life even before Roentgen discovered x-ray. The mountains give off natural radiation, other forms of radiation are coal burning power plants, x-rays from a TV, and an airplane ride. The average dose from background radiation is about 360 mrem every year. There are two types of radiation, nonionizing and ionizing radiation. Examples of nonionizing radiation are microwaves and radio waves broadcasting. Ionizing radiation refers to gamma and x-rays. Ionizing radiation means that the rays are able to remove an electron from the atom then ions can be formed. The ions can cause damage when reacting with other atoms. Cells are able to be repaired if low dose are received. However, if cells get a high dose, the cells will be damaged or possibly die. If the cell is damaged permanently then it is referred to as a mutated cell.
There are numerous reasons as to why I want to pursue my dream of becoming a radiation therapist. The most important reason is because I love to help other people overcome any problem they are facing. However saving a patient’s life through radiation would be even more amazing. Not to mention, after obtaining the proper education, the salary I receive will be fairly high. Cancer has recently become a part of many families, including my own. I see what a few of my family members are going through and having to struggle with every single day in order to live to see another day, The struggles that they go through have opened my mind in many ways, I wish I was the one that they could come to for a chance of survival, but I can’t, so in order for me to help cancer patients fight for their lives, I will obtain the proper education, licenses, and possess the numerous skills needed by a radiation therapist..
Gamma rays are high-energy waves, and can travel long distances and penetrate human skin. However, they can be blocked by concrete, led, metal or even water.
One of the biggest issues raised on sending humans to Mars, is the amount of radiation they would be exposed to by traveling through space. Most space agencies set lifetime amounts of radiation astronauts can be exposed to; the general limit is one sievert (Gelling, 2013). A way to minimize the threat of radiation exposure, is having proper shielding for those traversing inside the spacecraft. A lesson from the Curiosity Mars mission, is that having adequate
The Industrial Revolution sparked a need for large sources of energy. Human and animal labor could not provide the power necessary to power industrial machinery, railroads, and ships. The steam engine and later the internal combustion engine provided the bulk of the energy required by the industrial age. Today most nations are still heavily reliant on energy that comes from combustion. Usually coal, petrolium, and natural gas are used. Some hydroelectric, wind power, and nuclear fission sources are used, but in the US they accounted for less than 20% of the total energy consumption in 1997 (1). Many experts are worried that natural resources such as coal and petrolium are being depleted faster than they are being replenished, which could result in an energy crisis. Nuclear fission produces highly radioactive waste that is expensive to dispose of properly. Nuclear fusion reactors would produce much less radioactive waste and would be more efficient than nuclear fission, but to date there have been no nuclear fusion reactors that have generated usable energy output. Why is fusion power, which could be very beneficial, so hard to come by?