High School

If I passed through a radiation detector carrying Polonium 210 stored in a glass vial in my pocket, would the detector alarm go off?

A. Yes - Polonium 210 can penetrate the skin very easily.
B. Yes - Polonium 210 has a very short half-life.
C. Yes - Polonium 210 emits gamma radiation.
D. No - Polonium 210 emits alpha radiation.
E. No - Polonium 210 emits beta radiation.

Answer :

Final answer:

Polonium 210, stored in a glass vial, does not set off a radiation detector alarm because it emits alpha particles that can't penetrate even a thin barrier such as glass. It differs from gamma radiation, which is highly penetrating.

Explanation:

The answer to your question, If I passed through a radiation detector carrying Polonium 210 stored in a glass vial in my pocket, would the detector alarm go off?, is D. No - Polonium 210 emits alpha radiation.

Polonium 210 is an alpha emitter, which means it releases alpha particles during radioactive decay. However, these alpha particles have a limited ability to penetrate material. They can be stopped by a very thin barrier, such as a sheet or two of paper, which means they certainly wouldn't penetrate a glass vial. Hence, even if you had Polonium 210 in your pocket, it would not trigger a radiation detector alarm.

While alpha particles have a high ionizing power and are dangerous when inhaled or ingested, externally they don't pose a risk because of their limited penetration ability. This is why the radiation detector would not go off. It's very different for gamma radiation, which is extremely penetrating and would certainly trigger the alarm.

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