You are on page 1of 26

Edexcel P3 Radiation in Medicine,

Ionising radiation and Kinetic Theory


Physics

Pre exam presentation


By Mr Nesbo

Units!
You need to know the units for each value (or
ANY equation):
some tricky ones!
Intensity W/m2 (Watts per meter square)
Power of a lense D (dioptre)
Sin r and Cos r (or i) does not have units
Refractive index, n , does not have units
Energy of an electron/photon (small
particle) eV (electron volt)
Charge C (coulomb)
Momentum Kg m/s (kilogram meters per
second)
Temperature K (kelvin) or C (degrees
Celsius)

Radiation for Diagnosis


Radiation
detected
Visible
light
X-rays

How it forms an image

Light reflects off features to


form an image
X-rays are absorbed by
some materials inside the
body but not others.
Gamma
Positron annihilates with
rays
electrons in the body
producing 2 gamma rays
Ultrasound High-frequency sound
waves reflect off features
inside the body.

Where it is used

Endoscopes
X-ray photography
and CAT scanners
PET scanners

Ultrasound
scanners

Higher
Intensity = power of incident
radiation / area
I=P/A
Power measured in watts (W), area
measured in meters squared (m2) so
intensity is measured in watts per
square meter
(W/m2).

How the eye works

Iris controls the


amount of light
entering the eye.

Lenses
Key language:
Magnified means
larger. Diminished
means smaller.
A real image (on
the other side of
the lens to the
object). A virtual
image (on the
same side of the
lens as the object).

Power of a Lens
1/f=1/u+1/v
u is the object distance, v is the image
distance. If the image is virtual then v
is a negative number.

Reflection and refraction

Snells law
sin I / sin r = nr / ni (a constant number)
focus on equation i/r then r/I

X-ray machines uses an evacuated tube (so


travelling electrons dont collide with air
particles) with a negative electrode (cathode).
When heated thermionic emission fires
electrons towards a rotation positive electrode
(anode).
The electrons
collide with the
anode passing
energy to the
metal particles
which in turn
emit x-rays.

Equations for flowing


particles
Higher
Flow of electrons equation:
I = N x q where I = current in amperes (A), N =
number of electrons flowing each second and q =
charge of each electron
Kinetic energy equation:
Ek = m * v2 (m is mass in kg, v is velocity of the
electron in m/s).
Energy can be measured in eV (electron volts,
electron charge * 1 volt).

Fluoroscope:
2D image is taken to
in one direction. A
camera can be used
to form a real time
video clip.
CAT scans:
2D image is formed
from several directions
and can be used to
form a 3D image.

Electron and positron radiation

6 protons
8 neutrons

6 protons
4 neutrons

7 protons
7 neutrons

5 protons
5 neutrons

Neutron changes into


a proton => emits an
electron (beta
minus decay).
Atomic number
increases.
Higher
Down quark changes
to up quark.
Proton changes into a
neutron => emits a
positron (beta plus
decay). Atomic
number decreases.
Up quark changes to
down quark

Quarks:
Proton = u + d + u = p (total =
+1e)
Neutron = d + u + d = n (total
t
u
o
b
a
= 0) forget
Dont
2
Intensity

W/m
(Watts per meter square)
!
s
t
i
un
Power of a lense D (dioptre)

Sin r and Cos r (or i) does not have units


Refractive index, n , does not have units
Energy of an electron/photon (small
particle) eV (electron volt)
Charge C (coulomb)
Momentum Kg m/s (kilogram meters per
second)
Temperature K (degrees kelvin) or C

Radiation in hospitals
Palliative care help issues but does not cure them.
Beta emitters are used for internal radiotherapy.
Gamma sources and high-frequency X-rays are
used for external radiotherapy.
Tracers vary so that they will be absorbed by
specific parts of the body.
A tracer can be a radioactive isotope of the normal
substance which the body part absorbs. The tracer
must have a short half-life so that the body is not
exposed more than needs be. Due to this the
isotopes are made close by.

PET scans (positron emission


tomography)
PET scan uses
a positron
emitting
tracer. The
positrons
annihilate with
electrons in
the body
producing two
gamma rays
in opposite
directions.

Circular Motion
The LHC (Large Hadron Collider)
is a particle accelerator.
It accelerates two beams of
protons or ions to high speed in
opposite directions eventually
causing them to collide.
Circular motion uses the concept of resultant force.
The momentum/velocity of an object wants to travel
in a straight line. The centripetal force acts at a
right angle towards the centre of a circular path. The
result is a motion between the two. As this continues
the direction of motion continues to turn towards the
centre.

Cyclotrons

Cyclotrons are used to make the


isotopes for PET scans.

Collisions
Momentum is always conserved (involves
direction).
Inelastic collision kinetic energy is not conserved.
Elastic collision kinetic energy is conserved.
Momentum equation:
Momentum of an object = mass * velocity
Total momentum before an interaction (collision or
explosion) = sum of momentum of all objects
(taking into account direction, choose one direction
to be +ve and the other ve)

Kinetic Theory
Temperature is a measurement of the average
kinetic energy of the particles [in a gas].
Pressure is the force particles exert on a
surface/wall of a container when collide.
Measured in pascals (Pa) where 1 Pa = 1 N / m2.
Absolute zero is the lowest temperature (or
average kinetic energy) and occurs at -273 C,
also known as 0 K (zero degrees kelvin).

Changes in temperatures, volumes


and pressures
Under medium
temp. and pressure
the balloon has a
normal volume (A).
If the temp. inside
increases and/or
the pressure outside decreases the balloon,
the volume of the balloon increase (B).
The opposite applies if conditions are
reversed.

Nuclear glossary
alpha radiation Positively charged particles made up of
two protons and two neutrons.

background radiation Constant low-level radiation


from food and environmental sources.

beta radiation
radioactive materials.

High-energy electrons emitted by some

gamma radiation Short-wavelength electromagnetic


radiation emitted during radioactive decay.

Geiger-Mller tube A device used to detect and


measure radiation from radioactive materials.

ionizing radiation High-energy radiation capable of


ionizing substances through which it passes.

radioactivity The spontaneous emission of radiation from


the nucleus of an unstable atom.

Nuclear characteristics
Particl Symb Structure Relati Penetrati
es
ol
ve
ng
charg
e
Helium
The least
nucleus
Alpha
+2
2x neutron

Beta

Gamm
a

Stopped
by

2x proton

Paper
10cm 1m of
air

Electron
(high speed)

Aluminium
10m of air

Light ray
(EM
radiation)

-1

A lot

The most

Lead
Not stopped
by air
30cm of
concrete

Nuclear reactors
Safety:
Radioactive materials produce
dangerous radiation
Students frequently refer to
protective gear needing to be
worn when asked about safety HOWEVER
this is only one area of importance.
THERE ARE DANGERS AND SAFETY
POINTS YOU CAN DISCUSS!

Risks

Safety precautions

different types of ionising


radiation produce different dangers

energy from the ionising radiation


can be absorbed by the human
body
(prolonged) exposure to radiation
can cause {tissue / cell} damage
and {mutation/ damage to DNA}

increased risk due to long term


exposure to raised background
levels of radiation

protective clothing and


handling systems should be
used
minimise exposure to the
ionising radiation
intensity of radiation
decreases with distance from
the source
personal radiation dose
should be monitored
monitoring of background
levels of radiation

You might also like