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Which type of radiation has the shortest range, being stopped by a sheet of paper or a fraction of a millimetre of tissue?
AAlpha particles
BBeta particles
CGamma ray photons
DX-ray photons
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: A. Alpha particles
1. Alpha particles carry the largest charge of the three types of nuclear radiation, at plus two.
2. That large charge makes them interact quickly with surrounding matter, giving them the shortest range of the three.
3. A sheet of paper, a few centimetres of air, or a fraction of a millimetre of tissue is enough to stop them.
4. Beta particles penetrate further, and gamma rays and X-rays penetrate much further still.
5. So alpha particles are correct.
_Source: OpenStax Physics (CC BY 4.0), Ch 22 "The Atom", section 22.2 Nuclear Forces and Radioactivity_
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