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Radioactivity: A Very Short Introduction [#324]
Radioactivity: A Very Short Introduction [#324]
¥1,969
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  • Explains one of the most fundamental processes in nature
  • Explores its wide and important applications in science, medicine, industry, agriculture, and energy production
  • Considers the issues surrounding safety, security, and fear of radioactivity
  • A clear, informative, and authoritative account of radioactivity and its applications

 
You cannot hide from radioactivity. Even the book you are holding is slightly radioactive, but there are more serious risks. Radioactivity - the breakdown of unstable atomic nuclei, releasing radiation - is a fundamental process in nature. It is a process that has been harnessed to provide wide and important applications in science, medicine, industry, and energy production. But it remains much misunderstood - and feared, perhaps because nuclear radiation cannot be detected by human senses, and can undoubtedly do great harm if appropriate precautions are not taken. In recent times there have been increasing concerns about nuclear terrorism.

The traces of radioactive atoms in rocks have allowed us to understand the nature and history of the Earth, in particular to date events in that history. Radioactive dating has been used for a variety of purposes, from determining the age of the first hominids to the dating of the Turin Shroud. The discovery of radioactivity has improved our survival kit, but also gave us the chance to reach a new level of awareness on the history of our species and its environmental impacts. 

In this Very Short Introduction, Claudio Tuniz explains the nature of radioactivity and discuss its role in nature. Describing radioactivity in the stars and in the Earth, he also looks at its wide range of applications in biomedicine and in science, as well as the mechanisms of nuclear fission and fusion, and the harnessing of nuclear power. 

Index: 

Prologue
1: Opening the nuclear Pandora's box
2: Unlimited energy?
3: Food and water
4: Radiation and radioactivity in medicine
5: Radioactive gadgets and gauges
6: Fear of radioactivity
7: Tracing the origin and evolution of the Earth
8: Tracing human origins and history
Epilogue
References
Further reading

About the author: 

Claudio Tuniz was Assistant Director of the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics in Trieste . Previously he was Nuclear Counsellor at the Australian Embassy to the IAEA in Vienna and Director of the Physics Division at the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organization in Sydney. He is co-author of the book The Bone Readers (2009).

"an enjoyable discussion of the light and dark side of radioactivity." - Times Higher Education Supplement

Product details

ISBN : 9780199692422

Author: 
Claudio Tuniz
Pages
176 Pages
Format
Paperback
Size
111 x 174 mm
Pub date
Jul 2012
Series
Very Short Introductions
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Radioactivity: A Very Short Introduction [#324]

Radioactivity: A Very Short Introduction [#324]

Radioactivity: A Very Short Introduction [#324]