Physics A-Level
Ionising radiation and penetration
What Ionising radiation and penetration means in Physics A-Level, as defined for AQA.
Definition of Ionising radiation and penetration
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Reference: AQA
Alpha particles are strongly ionising but travel only a few centimetres in air and are stopped by paper, while gamma rays are highly penetrating.
Topics that use Ionising radiation and penetration
- Rutherford scattering (A-level only) (AQA A-Level)
Related terms
- Absorption and shielding
- Absorption experiment
- Absorption of radiation
- Atomic and nuclear structure
- Background radiation
- Background radiation and correction
- Choice of radiation source
- Corrected count rate
Using Ionising radiation and penetration in the exam
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