Skip to main content
Back

Measuring Radioactivity definitions

Control buttons has been changed to "navigation" mode.
1/14
  • Curie
    A unit representing 3.7 x 10^10 radioactive disintegrations per second, commonly used to express radioactivity.
  • Becquerel
    The SI unit for radioactivity, defined as one nuclear disintegration occurring each second.
  • Roentgen
    A measure of ionizing intensity for gamma and X-rays, equal to 2.1 x 10^9 charges per cubic centimeter.
  • Rad
    A unit quantifying absorbed radiation energy, equal to 1 x 10^-5 joules per gram of material.
  • Gray
    An SI unit for absorbed radiation energy, where one equals one joule per kilogram, equivalent to 100 Rads.
  • REM
    A unit reflecting absorbed dose adjusted for biological effect, calculated as Rads multiplied by Relative Biological Effectiveness.
  • Sievert
    An SI unit for measuring biological tissue damage from radiation, with one equal to 100 REMs.
  • Disintegration
    A single event where an unstable atomic nucleus emits radiation, forming the basis for radioactivity measurement.
  • Ionizing Intensity
    The capacity of radiation, such as gamma or X-rays, to generate charged particles in a given volume of air.
  • Relative Biological Effectiveness
    A factor expressing how different types of radiation vary in causing biological damage, with higher values for alpha particles.
  • Gamma Rays
    High-energy electromagnetic radiation often measured for ionizing intensity and biological effect in radioactivity studies.
  • X-rays
    A form of electromagnetic radiation with high energy, commonly assessed for exposure and ionizing intensity.
  • Alpha Particles
    Heavily charged particles with high biological effectiveness, significantly impacting tissue compared to other radiation types.
  • Beta Particles
    Light, fast-moving particles emitted during radioactive decay, with a relative biological effectiveness similar to gamma rays.