7.14 describe uses of radioactivity in industry and medicine

Medical tracer:

–          Radioactive tracer put in body (swallowed/injected)

–          Detector put around body

–          Computer generates an image

Gauging:

–          Coal absorbs a lot of radiation

–          If only a small amount of radiation is detected back after it is reflected by what you are trying to gauge, lots of coal is present.

Pipe tracers:

–           A radioactive material which emits gamma radiation with a short half-life is put in the water

–          A detector is placed above the pipe

–          A spike in detected radioactivity suggests a leak in the pipe