A geologist uses a Geiger-Müller tube and counter to measure the radiation emitted by a pitchblende mineral specimen over a period of 160 seconds160\text{ seconds}160 seconds.
The counter registers a total of 4352 counts4352\text{ counts}4352 counts during this time. The background radiation count rate in the geology laboratory is 0.65 counts per second0.65\text{ counts per second}0.65 counts per second.
Calculate the corrected count rate for the pitchblende specimen alone, in counts per second.
The geologist also has an antique wristwatch with a dial painted with radioactive radium paint. The total mass of the radium paint on the dial is 0.0024 kg.
Every 1 kg of this radioactive paint compound has an activity of 2.8×106 Bq2.8 \times 10^6\text{ Bq}2.8×106 Bq.
Calculate the total activity of the radium paint on the wristwatch dial in Bq\text{Bq}Bq.
16 exam-style questions on AQA GCSE Physics 4.3 Hazards and uses of radioactive emissions and of background radiation, covering 4.3.1 Background radiation, 4.3.2 Different half-lives of radioactive isotopes, and 4.3.3 Uses of nuclear radiation. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.