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10 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Ionizing radiation
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enough energy to knock electrons from atoms forming ions, capable of causing cancer (ex. gamma - xrays - UV)
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High Quality Energy
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organized & concentrated, can perform useful work (ex. fossil fuel & nuclear)
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Low Quality Energy
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disorganized & dispersed (heat in ocean or air wind, solar)
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First Law of Thermodynamics
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energy is neither created nor destroyed, but may be converted from one form to another
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Second Law of Thermodynamics
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when energy is changed from one form to another, some useful energy is always degraded into lower quality energy (usually heat)
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Natural radioactive decay
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unstable radioisotopes decay releasing gamma rays, alpha & beta particles
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Half-life
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the time it takes for half the mass of a radioisotope to decay
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Estimate of how long a radioisotope must be stored until it decays to a safe level
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approximately 10 half-lives
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Nuclear Fission
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nuclei of isotopes split apart when struck by neutrons
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Nuclear Fusion
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2 isotopes of light elements (H) forced together at high temperatures until they fuse to form a heavier nucleus; expensive, break even point not reached yet
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