Lesson Plan: The Dangers of Radiation Physics
This lesson plan includes the objectives, prerequisites, and exclusions of the lesson teaching students how to identify and describe the dangers involved in using radioactive sources.
Objectives
Students will be able to
- recall what is meant by the term irradiation,
- recall what is meant by the term contamination,
- recall what is meant by the term background radiation,
- recall the main sources of background radiation,
- recall and identify how to safely handle and store radioactive sources used in simple physics experiments,
- understand how radiation can be used for sterilization,
- recall which types of radioactive sources can cause the most damage if ingested.
Prerequisites
Students should already be familiar with
- alpha, beta, and gamma radiation,
- the radioactive half-life.
Exclusions
Students will not cover
- calculating the radioactivity of a source,
- calculation of the attenuation of radiation through a material,
- any other type of radiation, such as neutron radiation and positron radiation,
- any other type of decay process,
- nuclear reactors,
- nuclear wastes.
