Large amounts of radiation are very dangerous, even deadly. These interactions can alter molecular structure and function cells no longer carry out their proper function and molecules, such as DNA, no longer carry the appropriate information. The damage to living systems is done by radioactive emissions when the particles or rays strike tissue, cells, or molecules and alter them. With all the radiation from natural and man-made sources, we should quite reasonably be concerned about how all the radiation might affect our health. The Ionizing and Penetration Power of Radiation Some later time, alpha particles were identified as helium-4 nuclei, beta particles were identified as electrons, and gamma rays as a form of electromagnetic radiation like x-rays, except much higher in energy and even more dangerous to living systems. These particles were named using the first three letters of the Greek alphabet. beta particles \(\left( \beta \right)\).When these emissions were originally observed, scientists were unable to identify them as some already known particles and so named them: In natural radioactive decay, three common emissions occur. All of these elements can go through nuclear changes and turn into different elements. All nuclei with 84 or more protons are radioactive, and elements with less than 84 protons have both stable and unstable isotopes. In these changes, the nucleus, which contains the protons that dictate which element an atom is, is changing. That is because in all other types of changes discussed, only the electrons were changing. In our studies up to this point, atoms of one element were unable to change into different elements. Many nuclei are radioactive that is, they decompose by emitting particles and in doing so, become a different nucleus.
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