AQA · GCSE · Physics
Course version: 8463 · Version from Sept 2016
Students should be able to: describe and evaluate the uses of nuclear…
Full specification wording
Uses of nuclear radiation: Students should be able to: describe and evaluate the uses of nuclear radiations for exploration of internal organs, and for control or destruction of unwanted tissue evaluate the perceived risks of using nuclear radiations in relation to given data and consequences.
Evaluating means weighing, not listing.
Checked against the AQA 8463 specification (opens in a new tab) on .
- Point 2 of 2
- 4 key terms
Study notes
From the checked teaching notes for this specification point.
The idea
Evaluating means weighing, not listing. Set the benefit against the risk using the figures you are given. A tracer scan may diagnose a condition that could not otherwise be found, at a dose of a few millisieverts, which can be compared directly with the annual background dose in the same units. Radiotherapy may destroy a tumour, but the beam also passes through healthy tissue, causing side effects and a small added risk of a second cancer. A short half-life isotope cuts the dose because its activity falls away quickly after the procedure. Perceived risk is what people believe the danger to be, which is often higher than the measured risk; a good evaluation says which figures support the decision and reaches a conclusion.
What earns the marks
- A benefit stated using the data provided, such as the proportion of patients successfully diagnosed or treated.
- A risk stated using the data, such as the dose in millisieverts compared with the annual background dose.
- Explaining that a short half-life tracer limits the dose because its activity falls quickly.
- Weighing the two against each other rather than listing them separately.
- A conclusion that refers back to the figures given.
Common mistakes and how to put them right
Listing benefits and risks in two columns with no comparison or conclusion.
Answering from memory when the question supplies data to be used.
Treating perceived risk as identical to measured risk.
Asserting that all radiation is equally dangerous regardless of dose or type.
Giving a conclusion that contradicts the figures quoted earlier in the answer.
Exam tips
- Quote at least one number from the stem in your evaluation; an evaluation with no data rarely reaches the top band.
- Use a comparison of like with like, for instance a procedure dose against the annual background dose, both in millisieverts.
- Finish with an explicit judgement; leaving the answer balanced but undecided loses the final mark.
Try the lesson
The start of the Uses of nuclear radiation: Students should be able to: describe and evaluate the uses of nuclear radiations for exploration of internal organs, and for control or destruction of unwanted tissue evaluate the perceived risks of using nuclear radiations in relation to given data and consequences. lesson, made from checked teaching notes for this specification point.
Have a go first
When a doctor recommends using nuclear radiation to treat a patient's tumour, what is the primary factor they must evaluate?
Listen
Evaluating means weighing, not listing. Set the benefit against the risk using the figures you are given. A tracer scan may diagnose a condition that could not otherwise be found, at a dose of a few millisieverts, which can be compared directly with the annual background dose in the same units. Radiotherapy may destroy a tumour, but the beam also passes through healthy tissue, causing side effects and a small added risk of a second cancer. A short half-life isotope cuts the dose because its activity falls away quickly after the procedure. Perceived risk is what people believe the danger to be, which is often higher than the measured risk; a good evaluation says which figures support the decision and reaches a conclusion. A strong answer earns marks for these points. a benefit stated using the data provided, such as the proportion of patients successfully diagnosed or treated. a risk stated using the data, such as the dose in millisieverts compared with the annual background dose. explaining that a short half-life tracer limits the dose because its activity falls quickly. weighing the two against each other rather than listing them separately. Exam tip: Quote at least one number from the stem in your evaluation; an evaluation with no data rarely reaches the top band.
Key words
Say what each word means before you turn the card.
weighing benefit and risk
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using supplied data
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perceived versus measured risk
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reaching a conclusion
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See every definition
- weighing benefit and risk
- Setting the benefit against the risk using the figures you are given, rather than listing them separately.
- using supplied data
- Answering from the figures provided in the question rather than from memory.
- perceived versus measured risk
- What people believe the danger to be, which is often higher than the measured risk.
- reaching a conclusion
- Saying which figures support the decision and finishing with an explicit judgement that refers back to the figures given.
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