Two technicians in a nuclear laboratory were accidentally exposed to radiation. If one was exposed to 5 mGy and the other to 9 rad, which technician received more radiation?

• A. The one exposed to 5 mGy
• B. The one exposed to 9 rad
• C. The two technicians were exposed to the same amount of radiation

Answer: (B)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand the units: The problem involves two different units of radiation exposure - milligray (mGy) and rad. 1 Gray (Gy) is equivalent to 100 rad, and 1 mGy is 0.001 Gy.
2. Convert the exposure of the first technician from mGy to Gy: Since 1 mGy = 0.001 Gy, multiply 5 mGy by 0.001 to convert it to Gy.
3. Convert the exposure of the second technician from rad to Gy: Since 1 rad = 0.01 Gy, multiply 9 rad by 0.01 to convert it to Gy.
4. Compare the two values: After converting both exposures to the same unit (Gy), compare the numerical values to determine which technician received more radiation.
5. Conclude based on the comparison: The technician with the higher value in Gy received more radiation. If the values are equal, they received the same amount of radiation.