Question detail
Why is it important to balance usefulness and exposure risk when choosing a radioactive isotope for medical use?
Try the question, check the answer, then read the explanation to understand the curriculum point.
At a glance
MCQ
Type
practice
Style
Topic
Hazards and uses of radioactive emissions and of background radiation
Question
- A. To ensure the isotope is always available
- B. To maximize the radiation dose
- C. To minimize health risks while ensuring effectiveness
- D. To ensure the isotope is inexpensive
Answer
The correct answer is C: To minimize health risks while ensuring effectiveness.
Explanation
The correct answer is C: To minimize health risks while ensuring effectiveness. This supports the learning objective "Explain why medical tracers need suitable half-lives." in Uses of nuclear radiation because it uses the correct atomic and nuclear radiation relationship for Hazards and uses of radioactive emissions and of background radiation. The other options are less suitable because they do not match the required Uses of nuclear radiation idea: To ensure the isotope is always available; To maximize the radiation dose; To ensure the isotope is inexpensive.
Common mistake
Misunderstanding Half-Lives
Students often confuse the concept of half-life with the total time a radioactive isotope is active, thinking it refers to the entire duration of radioactivity rather than the time taken for half of the radioactive atoms to decay.
To fix this, students should focus on understanding that half-life is a specific time period during which half of the radioactive material decays, and that isotopes can remain active for multiple half-lives.
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