Radiation (was: <Silly>: Help with question about web page access)

[Patrick Finnegan]

On Wednesday 18 August 2004 22:19, der Mouse wrote:
> I suspect it also has something to do with the effects.  If a gamma
> ray _is_ absorbed, the nature of the damage it does is different from
> ditto for an alpha particle (I don't know enough about the details of
> either to say much more, but I do know they're quite fundamentally
> different).

The effects are quite the same... they're both ionizing radiation, so 
the effect is that the radiation particle knocks free some electrons, 
and turns something into an ion.  That's what the damaging effects are 
from...ionizing atoms that are in proteins, for example, tends to break 
them apart.

The main difference is that gamma radiation, being electromagnetic waves 
can travel farther through/into objects before striking something and 
dumping their energy (and ionizing the atom).  Alpha radiation tends to 
travel a shorter distance before striking something because of its MUCH 
larger mass (essentially ionized helium), and its inherent positive 
charge.

Pat
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