I am trying to understand this paragraph:
"Alpha particles have a short range. The range of ionising radiation is the distance it can travel through matter. Alpha particles can only travel a few centimetres in air and cannot penetrate more than a few millimetres of paper. They have a limited range because they interact with atoms along their paths, causing ions to form. This means they rapidly give up the energy that they had when they were ejected from the unstable nucleus."
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"Alpha particles have a short range. The range of ionising radiation is the distance it can travel through matter. "
What does this mean? What happens to the alpha particle when it can travel no more distance?
"They have a limited range because they interact with atoms along their paths, causing ions to form."
What does this mean? Do the alpha particles (helium atoms without electrons) take electrons from other atoms they are near, causing ions to form and making the alpha particles normal helium particles? Wouldn't this just result in other atoms without enough electrons?
"This means they rapidly give up the energy that they had when they were ejected from the unstable nucleus."
What energy do they give up? Kinetic energy? And what happens when they run out of it, does it cease to be an alpha particle?
Answers & Comments
Verified answer
"Alpha particles have a short range. The range of ionising radiation is the distance it can travel through matter. "
This is an average, some travel farther, some less. This is determined by how soon it hits an atom and deflects and loses it's energy. It may be absorbed by the other atom and cause a transmutation, or just stop, absorb two random electrons and become a helium atom.
"They have a limited range because they interact with atoms along their paths, causing ions to form." An alpha particle moving at speed past an atom tends to pull electrons off of atoms, as it has a net positive charge. When an atom has an electron(s) pulled off, it becomes an ion. And, the act of pulling off the electron uses up energy and slows down the alpha particle.
"causing ions to form and making the alpha particles normal helium particles? Wouldn't this just result in other atoms without enough electrons?" yes
"What energy do they give up? Kinetic energy?" yes
"And what happens when they run out of it, does it cease to be an alpha particle?" it absorb two random electrons and become a helium atom.