The table gives some properties of different types of radiation.
| Type of radiation | Nature | Relative charge | Ionising ability |
|---|---|---|---|
| alpha (α\alphaα) | helium nucleus | missing property (1) | high |
| beta-minus (β−\beta^-β−) | missing property (2) | -1 | medium |
| gamma (γ\gammaγ) | electromagnetic wave | 0 | low |
(i) Complete the table by identifying the two missing properties.
(ii) Which type of radiation from the table is the most strongly ionising?
(iii) Which type of radiation from the table is stopped by a few millimetres of aluminium but can pass through paper?
Phosphorus-32 is a radioactive isotope of phosphorus.
It decays by beta-minus (β−\beta^-β−) emission to form an isotope of sulfur.
Complete the nuclear equation for the decay of phosphorus-32 by filling in the missing numbers in the boxes:
3215P⟶3216S+0−1β− \begin{array}{c} \boxed{32} \\ \boxed{15} \end{array}\text{P} \longrightarrow \begin{array}{c} \boxed{\phantom{32}} \\ \boxed{\phantom{16}} \end{array}\text{S} + \begin{array}{c} \boxed{\phantom{0}} \\ \boxed{-1} \end{array}\beta^{-} 3215P⟶3216S+0−1β−65 exam-style questions on Edexcel IGCSE Physics Radioactivity. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.