The Nuclear and Radiation Section of PHY138Y
| Lecture 1 | Lecture 4 | Lecture 7 | Lecture 10 | Lecture 13 |
| Lecture 2 | Lecture 5 | Lecture 8 | Lecture 11 | Lecture 14 |
| Lecture 3 | Lecture 6 | Lecture 9 | Lecture 12 |
PLEASE NOTE: These lecture notes will usually be available only AFTER the lecture has been delivered.
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Lecture 1. This introductory lecture gave a very quick review of the birth of atomic and nuclear physics up to the Bohr model. The Power Point slides can be accessed here. I do urge you to check out Dr Harrison's wonderful flash animations: Electromagnetic Radiation, and The Bohr Model.
Lecture 2. I completed my summary of the highlights of SNI - remember that I do expect that your real learning will be by studying the notes and working our the problems. Einstein's photon and the Bohr Model formula to "explain" the observed line spectra preceded a brief comment on how Quantum Mechanics manages in a mysterious way to at least calculate the quantities of this very odd universe in which we live. I cautioned that the sub-atomic world is nothing like the one we know. A quick survey of nuclear properties concluded the lecture.
I remain astonished at how few of you bothered to check out Dr Harrison's wonderful flash animations -they are great fun and will greatly aid your understanding. Here are the Power Point slides, and here are the journal notes that I would have written if I had the time in class.
Lecture 3. Today I reviewed the last lecture, and asked several questions in class; all were very well answered. This is a smart class! I then introduced X-rays, explaining the production, and starting a discussion on the three modes of X-ray interaction with matter. Some good questions came from the class. The journal (tablet) slides can be accessed here, and the Power Point slides here. Again we have provided excellent Flash animations to help your understanding; here and here.
Lecture 4. I talked briefly about the saturation of nuclear forces that leads to the levelling off of the binding energy per nucleon in heavy nuclei to around 8.8 MeV. A brief review of the production (Bremsstrahlung and Characteristic Line Spectra) and the interactions of X-rays with matter (P-E effect, Compton effect, pair production), I proceeded to some dreary definitions (remember them!!) and the derivation of the attenuation equation for fluence. Then followed a worked examples in which I made my usual mistake, corrected by a smart student. Please check out the Flash animations to clarify what happens to a photon in matter. The journal (tablet) slides can be accessed here, and the Power Point slides here.
Lecture 5. A quick run through of some X-ray pictures led to our start on Radioactivity. The mysteries of alpha decay were explored, in particular I discussed the mystery of alpha penetration through a barrier where the ap h pa's kinetic energy would seem to be negative (though this is fascinating stuff, it isn't examinable!). I calculated the kinetic energies of each of alphas which emerge from the break up of the Be-8 nucleus. NB - the Q value is 0.093 MeV, which equals 93 keV (the last line of my calculation in class got this wrong - also remember that Q is measures energy, Q/c^2 measures mass). The low value of the alpha energy is the reason that the Be-8, though unstable, lasts so long (as you will understand if you correctly answered the in-class question). The journal (tablet) slides can be accessed here, and the Power Point slides here.
Also please notice that Part B of Problem Set #3, which asks : For how long after delivery is the sample usable? should read: For how long after IT WAS MADE is the sample usable? This is problem 54 in chapter 42 of Knight.
Lecture 6. A brief review of alpha decay led into a discussion of beta decay. Gamma decay was next, followed by the derivation of the radioactive decay equation, the definitions of activity and half-life. A simple calculation of half-life using real data followed. I then did an in-class problem, leaving the dreary arithmetic to my readers. Follow the links to the journal (tablet) notes and the Power Point slides .
Lecture 7. A review of radioactivity, its modes, its energetics, and the important decay equations led off today's lecture. I then derived the three important equations involving exposure, dose, and energy fluence, as in SNIV. I presented a problem to estimate the dose received in a typical chest X-ray. Tune in Wednesday for the solution to this exciting problem! The journal (tablet) notes and the Power Point slides are now posted.
Lecture 8. I finished the calculation of the dose delivered by a chest X-ray, introduced the radiation and tissue weighting factors and the definitions and meanings of equivalent and effective dose. Check out the journal (tablet) notes and the Power Point slides.
Lecture 9. After my usual brief review, I discussed SPECT, PET and the concept of isotopic dilution, the last with a short worked problem. I defined committed dose, and showed how the formula emerged from the definition. Check out the journal (tablet) notes and the Power Point slides.
Lecture 10. I worked my way through most of the sections of SNV, with a couple of worked problems meant to assist your own struggles with the probem sets. I left the one on the last slide for you to complete; the result is given. For details, see the journal (tablet) notes and the Power Point slides.
The draft slides for the next lecture might be available!
Lecture 11. I reviewed some of the earlier material, and did a couple of simple examples to exemplify a few points. Arithmetic was left to the class, who seem more gifted than I in that area. I sketched out the derivation for Isotope Generation. For details, see the journal (tablet) notes and the Power Point slides