Ionizing radiation
Q. Which of the following are ionizing radiations?
1) Gamma rays
2) Alpha rays
3) Infrared rays
4) X-rays
5) Microwaves- Published on 05 May 16a. 1, 2, 3, 5
b. 1, 2, 4
c. 1, 2, 4, 5
d. All of the above
ANSWER: 1, 2, 4
- Ionizing (or ionising in British English) radiation is radiation that carries enough energy to free electrons from atoms or molecules, thereby ionizing them.
- Gamma rays, X-rays, alpha particles, beta particles, Positrons and other types of antimatter, Photon radiation, charged nuclei and the higher ultraviolet part of the electromagnetic spectrum are ionizing.
- Whereas the lower ultraviolet part of the electromagnetic spectrum, and also the lower part of the spectrum below UV, including visible light (including nearly all types of laser light), infrared, microwaves, and radio waves are all considered non-ionizing radiation.
- The boundary between ionizing and non-ionizing electromagnetic radiation that occurs in the ultraviolet is not sharply defined, since different molecules and atoms ionize at different energies. Conventional definition places the boundary at a photon energy between 10 eV and 33 eV in the ultraviolet
