1. Alpha, Beta, gamma

2. Alpha Particles Consist of 2 protons and 2 neutrons bound together
Produced in the process of Alpha decay
Type of radioactive decay in which an atomic nucleus emits an alpha particle.
Has a low penetration depth
Can’t penetrate through paper

3. Uses of alpha particles
Cancer Treatment
Used in a process called “unsealed source radiotherapy”
Smoke Detector
Alpha Particles bombard air molecules knocking electrons free which creates an electric current. When smoke disrupts this electric current, the alarm is triggered.

4. Discovery/history of alpha particles
Discovered by Ernest Rutherford and Paul Villard in the years of 1899 and when the two physicists separated radiation into three types, finding that the lowest penetrating one was alpha.
When Rutherford compared the ratio of an alpha particle’s mass to its charge, it led him to hypothesize that alpha particles were charged helium ions. In 1907 Ernest Rutherford and Thomas Royds finally proved this hypothesis true.

5. Beta particles
High-energy, high-speed electrons or positrons emitted by certain types of radioactive nuclei
Medium penetrating power
Medium ionizing power
Can penetrate through paper, but not through plastic.

6. Uses of beta particles
Can be used to treat health conditions such as eye or bone cancer
Used to test the thickness of an item such as paper
Also can be used as tracers

7. Discovery of beta particles
Henri Becquerel- experimenting with fluorescence, accidentally found out that uranium exposed a photographic plate, wrapped with black paper, with some unknown radiation that could be turned off like x-rays.

8. GAMMa particles/rays Packet of electromagnetic energy photon
Gamma photons are the most energetic photons in the electromagnetic spectrum.
Gamma rays (Gamma Photons) are emitted from the nucleus of some unstable radioactive atoms such as potassium-40
Gamma rays can penetrate through paper and plastic, but not through lead.

9. Uses of gamma particles/rays
Used in instruments aboard high-altitude balloons and satellites mission to provide a view of the universe
Used in vehicle and container imaging systems

10. Discovery of gamma particles/rays
Paul Villard
Recognized them as different from x-rays because the gamma rays had a much great penetrating depth
He was in the process of conducting studies on uranium at the time

11. Sources: http://www.epa.gov/radiation/understand/gamma.html