General ICBM and nuke Info - updated

[Bolka]

Well, it really depends which way you look at it.
Alpha and Beta are very dangerous particles because they interact easily with matter, but because they interact so much, they lose their speed, and do not go very far, even through air. This is because they are large particles (Alpha is an helium particle, a molecule of its own).

Gamma is vey light, and interacts very little with matter it meets, which is why it goes through it, but when it goes through it it means it left it untouched.

[The GoldFish]

if you're going to be exposed to something radioactive, make it an Alpha source.

If you're going to eat something radioactive, make it Gamma source.

Just bear in mind, all radiation == bad, for living stuff anyway.

Alpha is a helium nucleus, beta is an electron, gamma is an EM wave.

[xander]

radiation == bad

That is a bit of an exageration, dependent upon how you define radiation. Visible light, UV, and infared are all radiation, as well, and call can be beneficial. Even X-rays can be beneficial, in the form of imaging. However, I am just nit-picking, because that is what I do. In general, radiation is bad.

xander

[daset]

Yay people who have no life.

[ArrowLance]

lol well as much as i understand radiation is gamma tends to do the most damage out of the three becuase it actualy can get to a get into its target. While the weakest you still would not want to be expossed to it. Alpha , as i understand it, is made up of particle and not waves (oh ya gammas waves) these particles have a hard time geting through skin altho i amadgine it might cuase some damage to skin and stuff but it has no way of geting in your body.Beta is some where in between.


*This may be untrue this is just what i belive to be true
**I do have way to much free time
***After all i homeschool 2 hour school days really free up my time
****I like cheese a lot.

[daset]

After all i homeschool 2 hour school days really free up my time

Does your homeschooling include a "Basic English Class" too?

[Zarkow]

To quote SP: "Homeschooling is bad, mkay?"

[Bolka]

Updated a couple of things and images.

[poorsod]

Yay people who have no life.

/me punches daset.

Back on-topic, IONISING radiation is bad. Radio waves, light waves, etc are harmless and very useful. Plus (nitpicking again), you mixed up 'atom' and 'nucleus' quite a lot in the 1st post. Oh, and to the guy who said you need large quantities of gamma radiation to be affected, I think a nuclear bomb is enough, don't you?

[UsF]

Well if that is all simulated correctly in Defcon I'll be happy.

By the way, alpha-radiation can be stopped by a single piece of paper, so even if it is very harmful, it will most likely not reach you (maybe if you are standing very very close to an emitter (like a nuke? )
Gamma-Radiation can penetrate even 5 centimetres of lead o.o (hope that's the right word).

[NeoThermic]

Just bear in mind, all radiation == bad, for living stuff anyway.

Actually, we can use radition against living things for good. Radiotherapy is used in the treatment of cancer, of which it involves controlled doses of radiation directed at the point of treatment.

I would suggest a better thing to bear in mind is uncontrolled radiation is bad for living things.

By the way, alpha-radiation can be stopped by a single piece of paper, so even if it is very harmful, it will most likely not reach you (maybe if you are standing very very close to an emitter (like a nuke?)

The problem with alpha radiation is that it is highly ionizing. This means that it can irradiate items like dust, of which if you inhail enough of it, you will die a very horrid death.


NeoThermic

[ObssesedNuker]

Lets not forget Neutron Radiation.

[TheToyMaker]

hes right. harmless to dirt and nonpersistent, but very destructive to anything alive.

[Bolka]

Yes, a surprisingly high number of devices use radioactivity, you may actually be sitted close to a smoke detector that uses Beta emissions to detect smoke. Radiation is also used to sterilize food, especially fruits, that makes their transportation much easier and prevents them from rotting.

Regarding radioactivity types, here is a small addition:

ALPHA and BETA

Alpha radiation consists of the emission of Helium particles. This type of radiation is highly ionizing (ie. it leaves matter it meets changed). Because it interacts heavily with matter it meets, it does not travel far, about 3 inches through air, and a sheet of paper would entirely block it.
Beta radiation consists of electrons and positrons (positive electrons) that are much lighter than Alpha particles, but still can only travel a few meters/yards through air, and can be blocked entirely with a common kitchen aluminium sheet.
In the nuclear warfare context, these types of radiations are however very important, not at explosion time where exposure is irrelevant, but through fallout exposure.
The fission products are radioactive, and all of them are good sources of either Alpha or Beta. A substantial part of the fallouts is composed of fission products, and these will end up being absorbed (ie. eaten) by most of the world's population, particularly in the neighbour countries of the nuclear explosion.

To take an exemple, a known fission product is the Iodine 131. Iodine has the chemical property that has it fix itself in the thyroid, it is a beta and gamma radiation emitter and will emit strongly for a few weeks after the explosion. About 1% of the results of fission will yield iodine 131.
Potassium 40 is another example, it is a weaker source of radiation, but will emit for billions of years mostly betas and gammas. It has a chemical property that has it fix itself in muscles.
Many such measurements have been made after the Tchernobyl fallouts, in the field, the food and people.

GAMMA

The gamma radiation is an electromagnetic radiation, it has no mass. It will interact with matter very little, but still has a probability to ionize. Since a nuclear explosion generates an extremely high level of gamma rays, it will be a threat to anyone directly exposed. Gammas can travel several miles, and will go through as much as 6 meters/yards of concrete.

NEUTRONS

Neutron "radiation" is not a natural radiation, meaning it does not result from natural matter radioactive decay. Only the neutron bomb will generate relevant neutron radiation. The neutron bomb ia actually more like a nail bomb than a radiocative bomb, the neutron bomb will throw very large amounts of neutrons at high speed. These will damage complex organisms such as life forms, but leave matter mostly unchanged.

[FinnG]

complex organisms such as life forms

That's an interesting one.