Alpha, Beta and Gamma

Lab Brief #2

🎯 Your mission

Understand the idea. Then look for it everywhere.

⚡ The twist

Nature loves to surprise the careful watcher.

What you'll learn

Alpha is a helium nucleus, highly ionising but stopped by paper. Beta is a fast electron, stopped by a few millimetres of aluminium. Gamma is an electromagnetic wave, weakly ionising but needing thick lead. Ionising power and penetrating power run opposite ways.

Key words

alpha particle
A helium nucleus emitted in decay; highly ionising, stopped by paper.
gamma ray
High-energy electromagnetic radiation; weakly ionising but highly penetrating.

Make a hypothesis first

Before you start: write down what you think will happen, and why.

Say your guess out loud — then find out if you were right.

Step 1 of 4 · Read

Think about what you just learned: say what "alpha particle" and "gamma ray" mean in your own words before you start.

Step 2 of 4 · Do

From a supplied absorption data set, deduce which of three unknown sources is alpha, beta and gamma by seeing which absorbers reduce the count. Justify each identification from the data.

Step 3 of 4 · Observe

Record what actually happened, including anything that did not match what you expected.

Step 4 of 4 · Record

Write a conclusion that answers the question this lesson opened with, and state your uncertainty.

Question 1 of 2

Which radiation is stopped by a sheet of paper?

How sure are you?😐 maybe

Question 2 of 2

The most penetrating of the three main radiations is:

How sure are you?😐 maybe

Mind = blown

🔬 The more you look, the more nature shows you.

Nice work!

You got 0 of 2 right.

Next: Half-Life All lessons

🎯

Next Smart Experiment

We'll pick an experiment that matches exactly how you're thinking right now.

✨ More to explore

🌍 Where you see this in real life: This shows up in your everyday life more than you'd think.

🏆 Stretch challenge (try it this week): Try one experiment in real life this week — even a tiny one.

👨‍👩‍👧 For the dinner table: “What's the most surprising thing you learned today?”

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