Uses of nuclear radiation — AQA GCSE Physics
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Uses of nuclear radiation explained
Evaluating means weighing, not listing. Set the benefit against the risk using the figures you are given.
Read the full explanation
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.
Your focus
- Evaluate a medical use of radiation by comparing a quoted dose with the annual background dose.
- Explain why perceived risk may differ from the risk the data supports.
- Reach and justify a conclusion about whether a procedure's benefit outweighs its risk, citing the figures given.
Uses of nuclear radiation exam tips
Marking Points
- one mark for a benefit stated using the data provided, such as the proportion of patients successfully diagnosed or treated
- one mark for a risk stated using the data, such as the dose in millisieverts compared with the annual background dose
- one mark for explaining that a short half-life tracer limits the dose because its activity falls quickly
- one mark for weighing the two against each other rather than listing them separately
- one mark for a conclusion that refers back to the figures given
Examiner 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.
Common Mistakes
- 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