Video Transcript
Which would be more damaging, a
single dose of nuclear radiation that is two rem or three separate doses of nuclear
radiation that are each one rem?
This question is asking us whether
a single dose of two rem is more or less damaging than three separate one-rem
doses. Recall that rem is the unit of
measurement for absorbed dose. Absorbed dose is a measure of the
amount of energy per kilogram absorbed by whatever material is exposed to the
radiation. So, the greater the absorbed dose,
the greater the amount of energy per kilogram that is absorbed. This greater absorbed dose will
have a larger value of rem.
Repeated small doses will have what
is called a cumulative effect. This means that even if the doses
are several days apart, the next dose adds to the damage done by the previous
dose. Since the effects of multiple doses
of nuclear radiation are cumulative, it is more damaging to receive the three
separate doses of nuclear radiation that are each one rem. This is because the total rems
received over the three doses is three rems, which is greater than the two rem of
the single dose.
The correct answer is therefore
option (B). The separate doses would be more
damaging than the single dose.
