Everyday Lives
We often imagine radionuclides as only having uses in science labs and nuclear power plants, but it’s easy to forget that they’re commonly found all around us in our day-to-day lives, including in our homes! That may sound scary but don’t panic, only very low levels of radioactivity are used, and they allow us to make things that would otherwise be tricky to create, such as smoke alarms. Other household items, like bananas, have very small amounts of naturally occurring radionuclides in them (don’t worry, you’d have to eat around 50 million bananas at once to experience a lethal radiation dose!).
Have a go at the activities below to learn some of the radiation secrets behind our everyday lives!
Neutron number ordering game
Look at the cards and order them in smallest to largest number of neutrons.
Half-life ordering game
Read through each of the cards and place them in order of shortest to longest half-life.
Radionuclide application game
Have a go at matching the isotopes below to the place in the house you’d most likely find them.
Radionuclide description game:
Think you know your radionuclides? Test your knowledge by matching each isotope with its correct description.
Scenario game:
Read through the scenarios below and pick the radionuclide that is best suited for the job.
Scenario 1: Smoke detectors work by a radionuclide emitting particles which ionise the air and allows an electrical current to flow. Which is the best radionuclide to use for this purpose and why?
Scenario 2: Certain radionuclides release particles during decay, triggering a chemical reaction upon contact with other materials and creating a glow. This reaction is known as radioluminescence. You are travelling on a research expedition to the Arctic Circle in winter where it is dark 22 hours of the day. You require a compass that can be read easily, which radionuclide would you use for this purpose and why?
Scenario 3: Food irradiation is the process of exposing foodstuffs to gamma rays to kill bacteria that can cause food-borne disease, and to increase shelf-life. Which radionuclide would you use for this purpose and why?
