Concept in Definition ABC

Radiation is a form of Energy on movement that propagates through waves invisible to the human eye, such as thermal radiation or light.

Other types of radiation are those that are produced in small particles that escape from atoms to a velocity very high (for example, radiation produced in nuclear power plants).

Radiation, from discovery to its uses

As an invisible form of energy, radiation was discovered at the end of the 19th century in the form of different advances (X-rays, radio or cathode radiation). These achievements meant a spectacular scientific leap for different disciplines: electromagnetism, astronomy, medicine and, in general, for the understanding of nature as a whole.

The discovery of radiation (and later radioactivity) implied that there are forces in matter that allow it to obtain energy if it disintegrates. Those investigations were decisive for the development of the nuclear energy.

Different applications of radiation

If we place ourselves in the sphere of medicine, radiation has been a whole

revolution. The diagnosis facilitated by X-rays or CT allows many ailments to heal. In relation to cancer, radiotherapy techniques make it possible that this disease can be cured in an increasing percentage.

Radiation is a phenomenon that occurs spontaneously in nature. In fact, certain substances such as potassium or uranium emit radioactivity. Also in the astronomical order, radioactive phenomena occur (when the Earth's atmosphere is exceeded we are exposed to cosmic rays).

Let's imagine that we are going to take a plane trip and we are at the airport. Systems safety Employees work precisely because of radiation.

If a researcher (an archaeologist or a paleontologist) wants to know the age of an object or a living being, the technique used (that of carbon 14) is based on a radioactive isotope.

The different uses and applications of radiction remind us that, like other realities, there are two different faces: a positive one that is allied with health or energy and, at the same time, a risk in its application (a person can be cured with X-rays but an excessive exposition is harmful).

Topics in Radiation