Science & Technology
Radionuclides are at the centre of some of our most important scientific research and innovation, shaping the cutting-edge technology around us today. These advancements can be found in many different places, such as explosives detectors in airports, corrosion analysis of steel in building construction, and even calculating how long-ago ancient civilisations lived. Pretty impressive considering we can’t even see radiation!
Now, have a go at the activities below to see how well you know your science and technology radionuclides!
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 with their real-world use..
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: Efficient use of fertilisers is a concern to both developing and developed countries. Fertilisers 'labelled' with a particular isotope provides a means of finding out how much fertiliser is taken up by the plant and how much is lost into the environment. Which radionuclide would you use for this purpose and why?
Scenario 2: Analysing naturally-occurring radioisotopes is important for determining the age of rocks and other materials that are of interest to geologists, anthropologists, and archaeologists, among others. A historian thinks the wooden beams in an old house were made in the early Tudor period (about 500 years ago). Which radionuclide would you use to check the age of the wood, and therefore the age of the house?
Scenario 3: Radioisotopes can be used to accurately measure the thickness of many different sheet materials. This is done by measuring the amount of radiation present before and after it passes through the material. Which radionuclide would you use to measure the thickness of an extruded metal pipe, why did you choose this radionuclide?
