Gamma Rays - 09 Roy Chua

Wavelength of Gamma Rays and if they require mediums?
The wavelength of gamma rays range from 0.03µm to 0.003µm. As a form of radiation, gamma rays do not need a medium to be able to pass through.

What are Gamma Rays?
It is believed that the French physicist Henry Becquerel was responsible for discovering gamma rays, through the usage of uranium to expose an image through heavy opaque paper. Events that can produce gamma rays are supernovas, destruction of atoms, as well as the decaying of radioactive material. From these events, gamma rays would be emitted from the nucleus of atoms or ions. Some radionuclides that produce gamma rays are Cesium-137, Cobalt-60 as well as Technetium-99m.

Gamma rays are fairly similar to x-rays in many aspects, like their dangers as well as their interaction in the environment. Gamma rays, when in the environment, would disappear when they run out of the energy they use to travel.

Gamma rays are able to be exposed to people in many different ways, and not only through direct exposure to the skin itself. The radionuclides emitting gamma rays can also be inhaled into the lungs and be exposed to the organs around the lungs, or be consumed along with food and water, and be exposed to organs surrounding the digestive system. However, some of the radionuclides are able to be cleared from the body through the body’s wastes like urine and feces.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Gamma Rays
Gamma rays are used in many different ways and some are also similar to the uses of x-rays as well. Gamma rays can be used to treat cancer, diagnose people with the aid of machines, improve the durability of materials like wood, measure soil density and so on.

However, even though gamma rays have many uses that can give a big aid to the advancement of technology, gamma rays also have many disadvantages and dangers. Some dangers of gamma rays is that if one were to be overexposed to gamma rays, one can be damaged by the gamma rays because of the radiation and gamma ray’s ability to pass through materials.

Sources:

http://science.hq.nasa.gov/kids/imagers/ems/gamma.html

http://www.efunda.com/formulae/heat_transfer/radiation/overview_rad.cfm

http://www.epa.gov/radiation/understand/gamma.html