Video Transcript
Can nuclear radiation be produced
by artificial processes?
Let’s first remember that unstable
atomic nuclei naturally occur. These nuclei emit nuclear radiation
when they decay. It is important to remember that
the decay of an atomic nucleus is a spontaneous process. It is not possible to make a chosen
atomic nucleus decay at a chosen moment.
This makes it seem that nuclear
radiation cannot be artificially produced. It is important to understand what
is meant by producing nuclear radiation by an artificial process. This does not mean that nuclear
radiation is produced by something other than a decaying nucleus. In fact, particles and waves, like
those that nuclear radiation is made of, can be produced from sources other than
decaying atomic nuclei. But that does not make the
particles and waves produced by these other methods examples of nuclear
radiation. Radiation must be emitted from
decaying atomic nuclei to be considered nuclear radiation.
This does not explain how nuclear
radiation could be artificially produced however. Rather it seems to show further
that this is not possible. But while it is true that nuclear
radiation must be emitted from decaying atomic nuclei and that this process is
spontaneous, it is possible to artificially modify and combine different substances
to make these substances change in ways that make it more likely for unstable atomic
nuclei to decay in these substances. These modifications and
combinations of substances are present in nuclear fuels, in nuclear power plants,
and in nuclear weapons.
So the correct answer is yes;
artificial processes can produce nuclear radiation.
