Hank explains the whole story about radiation - the good, the extremely helpful, and the bad. Like SciShow on Facebook: / scishow Follow SciShow on Twitter: / scishow
As an 11 year old just learning this, I find he really breaks down the definition of it and this definitely helped me understand it more. It's also somewhat funny which makes kids enjoy it and probably memorize it better. I'll be sure to tell my teacher to share this with the class so whenever I talk about it people don't start staring at me like I just called their mom a fat ogre. Thanks, mate! :)
I took a Radiation Biology course a few years ago and to be honest...you covered a solid chunk of not only the first stuff we learned...but of what the general public should know in a very simple and concise manner. Well done! :D
I posted this on facebook for all my friends as we are all doing our GCSEs and this really helps with the old revision thing... on behalf of me and all my friends here in the UK doing our GCSEs, thanks Hank
Absolutely, I the only reason I was scanning the comments was the level of unease I continued to experience despite having replayed the introduction several times. Thank god you said something when you did, otherwise I could have easily spent hours scanning the comments in search of any similar mentioning of said unease! These things tend to hijack my conscious thoughts, sometimes for days on end, if not resolved.
RHP here. Super kudos to you for actually remaining essentially accurate for a talk on ionizing radiation. Actually you already crossed the 95% mark by differentiating between ionizing and non-ionizing radiation. No mention of free radical production in relation to DNA damage (rather than just direct ionization) is pretty easy to dismiss when you consider the 3:04 run-time of the episode.
because your science teacher ins't called Michael. Michael is interesting in all ways... and no not in that 1 way for me. im straight. in all other ways, yes. like as if he is my brother and dad, teacher, engineer, supremacist and bank executive. he is it all.. to me. i hope he is all that to u too... hopefully including the other i excluded (no offence)
Great video as always, however I just want to clear a few things up: Alpha radiation is the most ionising, but cannot travel far (a bit of paper will stop them, or even a few feet of air.). Beta is less ionising, but can travel further (lead will do) and finally; Gamma, the least ionising, yet it can travel extremely far (A lot of concrete, lead and other shiz).
it says IONIZING RADIATION when the bold words of it come up, but at the bottom with the different radiations it's spelled IONISING............ is there something I'm missing or is this wrong?
Thanks for clearing this up for people! Radiation is my job and it's so...AJKFSFLKFJSDKL to explain to people with all of their misconceptions! You rock Hank. Always.
I think he messed up. Alpha particles are more ionizing than beta particles which are more ionizing than gamma rays, while it goes Gamma > beta > alpha in terms of penetration.
n3tdh There's more to it than just the material, gamma waves can't be stopped by 1cm of lead. The important part of the different materials is their density, but the thickness matters. You could stop all of them with different amounts of paper.
+Jozzarozzer it takes 3 ft of earth to stop gamma radiation. i never said 1 cm of lead i only said it takes lead. if it only took paper there would not be the need for fallout shelters to be buried. fallout shelters need the earth to stop the gamma radiation from the fallout. fallout is the falling radioactive dust that takes 2 weeks to clear the air and for the nuclear half life to reduce the gamma levels to a safe level after a nuclear explosion.
2:24, wait, beta particles are more ionising than Alpha particles, and less than gamma? That's the wrong way round isn't it? That would imply Gamma is the most ionising, and alpha the least? Gamma is the least ionising, then beta, then comes Alpha by a massive amount, since it is way more ionising. Gamma however is the most penetrating, then beta, then alpha (stopped by a few cm of air, or a bit of plastic/paper).
Waitwaitwait. For one, I think ionizing is probably the wrong term here as that's usually used in refrence to causing an electron to ping off an atom by hitting it with too much electromagnetic energy (the high energy photons in the first bit). He probably meant damaging. Gamma rays have a truly MASSIVE amount of energy and if they hit an atom, it WILL lose an electron and probably heat up so much it breaks any covalent bond it was a part of. Beta particles are electrons moving fast and are less energetic than gamma rays, but more so than alpha particles, these collisions will probably set free an electron and might have enough energy left after bouncing off to do it again (as may the gamma). Alpha particles however are helium nuclei and probably cant to much more than hit an atom and jiggle it around a bit, if it slows down enough to just be a helium ion i guess it could suck a few electrons off neighboring atoms but since it doesn't have the speed to penetrate your skin the damage its capable of is minimal at best.
Will B Definitely right in the damaging sense. Alpha particles are hella dangerous because, well, they are kind of infinitely more massive bigger than Gamma rays. Like a bigger punch. But nevertheless they are less penetrative compared to Beta and Gamma. The question of ionization would probably depend a lot on the particles' velocity.
Gamma rays are photons so their "size" is kinda debatable and semi-meaningless. It ain't size that matters at the subatomic level, its energy, more energy does more damage, less does less. Alpha is the safest kind of radiation even once ingested (don't do it, but beta or gamma would still be worse).
Point of information, Hank: At the end when you were describing which type of radiation was most ionising, I think you got a little mixed up and meant to say "more penetrating." Alpha radiation is the most ionising as it has a +2 charge and attracts electrons quite strongly, but is the least penetrating because of this. Gamma is just a wave and is least likely to knock an electron out of an atom and create an ion, so it is the most pentrating but the least ionising.
As an instructor who often overviews evolution for my philosophy students, I EMPHATICALLY second this remark. Any video that briefly and humorously distinguishes Darwinian reproductive success from Herbert Spencer's social dribble gets my thumbs up!
In health physics, we use numbers called quality factors to convert from units of dose rate (rad or Gray) to dose equivalent (rem or Sievert). The unit dose equivalent describes the amount of damage a given dose rate actually does to your body. To convert, you multiply the dose rate by the quality factor to get the dose equivalent. The quality factor for betas and gammas is 1. The quality factor for alphas is 20. Electrons love the +2 alphas and are easily stripped away from their nuclei.
The cellphone cancer thing has always been absurd to me. Every part of your body is emitting infrared radiation just by being even close to Earth-like temperatures. Microwaves carry less energy to mess with your DNA than infrared radiation, which carries less than visible light. Basically, every atom in the universe warmer than the cold depths of space is emitting more energetic radiation than what your cell phone produces. Microwaves have about as much ability to change your DNA as sound waves do.
I think it's a sound argument, I believe it's all business and politics people believe what they're told often... Then again your profile has a badass name, I might be biased.
I once heard this kid say "a girl got cancer in the same side of her head that she used her cell phone." That's like saying an elephant caused a building to collapse because it was the only elephant within 100 miles.
It's absurd because you've never looked into it and don't understand biological transduction and amplification. You also assume a linear dose response curve, which is also incorrect, something you would only know if you actually engaged with the literature instead of assuming you inherently knew what you were talking about. You're also ignoring the finer physics of the absorption spectrum of certain molecules, rotation and expansion of dipole molecules, etc. Bottom line. Your core assumption is that the radiation has to be acting directly, rather than imparting information which alters the cell's behavior. If I sound a bit impatient it's because I am, I am so goddamn sick of this topic I can't wait for us all to be dead or it to be over, whichever comes first they'll both be a relief.
um..... beta particles (electrons and positrons that are beta minus and beta plus) are NOT more ionizing than alpha and LESS than gamma radiation, they are LESS ionizing than ALPHA and MORE than GAMMA radiation.... but they travel bigger distance than alpha and less distance than gamma radiation.... alpha particles are helium cores (that's 2 protons + 2 neutrons for you) stripped from electrons and are BIG (compared to beta electrons and insanely enormous compared to gamma photons) hence the shorter travel distance (the bigger you are the more stuff you hit) and the bigger ionizing power (the bigger you are the more stuff you hit and the harder you hit) it's like comparing a whale a care and a mouse traveling at 100 miles per hour what does more damage?
Very good point. ;-) I've got a bad habit of not reviewing my statements from both the positive and negative perspectives. Thanks for the clarification.
Jesse Versluys Actually broccoli in vinegar or a spot of pickled cabbage will clean out your insides, and then any room you are in for several hours afterwards. People will again return to the room once all of the evil that was inside you also leaves the room - opening a window helps.
Neutronic interaction with matter is quite different from standard particle interactions. It is more about getting enough nuclei in a specific amount of space to maximize interaction. That's why things like carbon and heavy water (deuterium) are excellent moderators; they pack a lot more nuclei per unit mass/volume giving them decent neutron cross-sections for scattering and absorption. However gamma radiation is also produced from neutron scatter, which requires denser shielding to mitigate.
Excellent. An additional note: Many people believe that substances can be made radioactive by exposing them to some kind of radiation. That is only true for neutron particles (not mentioned in the vid), and only for some substances (pure water, for example, cannot be made radioactive). Free neutrons are generated for a microsecond during a nuclear bomb blast, and continuously from nuclear reactors. In all other cases, radioactivity is not "catching".
No, and that's why I'd love for Hank to cover this topic. A theory is a conglomeration of MULTIPLE hypotheses. String theory, the theory of gravity, or the theory of evolution are explanations for the universe that are justified by many smaller hypotheses. These hypotheses, which are observed/tested individually, are summarized by a theory-- i.e., gravity has been tested in many ways and the theory explains the results. Most people think a theory is just a hypothesis that can't ever be proven.
Yeah my teacher told me the same today. Alpha travels a few cm in air but it's very ionizing. Beta travels about 10 cm(or less) in air but is less ionizing than alpha. Gamma travels very far but is the least ionizing.
@Zastanick The one that can see IR would basically be able to see heat signatures, like an infared camera; the one with UV would not be able to see much, pretty much just stars and tanning beds. There is not a lot of stuff on Earth which gives off UV radiation. The one with extra cones in its eyes would just have sharper vison, not be able to see more colours.
Like the content of this video, Hank. I know it may be too much to ask, but any chance you could do a video on enzymes? I have an exam at 9am BST tomorrow, and I learn more with these videos than I ever have with a book.
Your physics teacher is correct and so I think is Hank. Hank can sometimes use slightly vague phrases like gamma is 'worst' or alpha 'generally doesn't cause damage'. By this he means that despite now ionising alpha radiation is it tends to only ionise your outermost skin cells, which are already dead. Gamma could potentially ionise your insides, because it is so penetrating.
Yes, yes i have... And the point i am making is that while the labels are convenient and and may make things slightly easier to understand, there is absolutely nothing wrong with inverting the spectrum if everyone still understands what you are talking about. Our brains interpret the wavelengths of light that enter the eyes in certain ways, and we later learn to label them are colours.
You definitely got my vote on that one. All food is organic and contains chemicals, but -- yet again -- people generally perceive these words as being antonymous.
IIRC, cellphones are in the 8-900Mhz area,and/or the 1800-1900Mhz area,depending. Wifi is around 2450Mhz (2.45Ghz). Microwave ovens also operate right at 2.45Ghz,but at Much higher power levels (in the neighborhood of 1000Watts),and it's contained within a box. So,Wifi and Microwaves,etc. are all in the same area,and yes,cellphones would be slightly to the left of those.
Note to Hank. You got the ionising effect of Alpha particles and Gamma rays relative to Beta particles mixed up. Gamma rays are the least ionising, Beta particles are slightly more ionising than gamma rays, and alpha particles are the most ionising of the three. I'm sorry if this has already been said.
There are two ways that radiation can harm organisms: the first, ionization of tissues was mentioned. The second, unmentioned, is that microwaves and infrared, which are non-ionizing, can heat tissues (think microwave oven) and essentially cook them into death. Both of these modes must be considered when making judgements about the safety of EM radiation. (EM radiation is that generated as waves or rays, as discussed first by Hank. The EM specifies that from the more general term).
Point of order: the Earth is mostly warmed by shortwave radiation (visible and UV). IR is associated with "warmth" because black bodies at temperatures common on the Earth's surface have their peak wavelength in the IR, but the peak of the Sun's radiation is in fact in the visible. (It's green.) You've been doing a good job with these. I don't mean to criticize; I just wanted to do my part.
I would like to see a IDTTMWYTIM on the term "Quantum Computer" also String Theory...maybe just a regular episode with String Theory because I would want to show it to my friends. Pretty much for the same reason as when I try to explain Entropy or Quantum Entanglement to people and I get frustrated and pull up bits of Through The Worm Hole on any nearby browsing device. You and Morgan Freeman just explain things better than most.
Interesting video! This is an invitation to see an artist theory on the physics of light and time! This theory is based on two postulates 1. Is that the quantum wave particle function Ψ represents the forward passage of time ∆E ∆t ≥ h/2π itself 2. Is that Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle ∆×∆p×≥h/4π that is formed by the w- function is the same uncertainty we have with any future event that we can interact with turning the possible into the actual!
cont, gamma is in fact the least ionizing but due to the fact that it is actually a wave means it is very penetrating so any ionization that does occur is more likely to occur in internal organs and therefore cause more damage which is way it is considered the most dangerous.
0:47 Microwaves only sometimes carry cell phone traffic. Microwaves are used to bounce T1 lines to another cell site if renting a LEC land line is too expensive/unrealistic. Otherwise T1s are carried via land lines.
Yes, but not for that reason. They're sorted by wavelength. Radio waves are about 10^3 meters, while gamma rays are 10^-12, and all the others are in between (look up "electromagnetic spectrum" if you're curious). Those with shorter wavelengths are more ionizing, which should make intuitive sense--a radio wave, being 1000 meters long, can't get into your cells like a 0.000000000001 meter gamma ray.
... Have you looked at the wavelength of different colors of light? That is what it is generally based on. 470nm (ish) for blue and 670nm (ish) for red. Our graphs of radiation often will add color because we like to make it easier to discern. We usually take the radiation we can see (light) and spread it out across the entire radiation spectrum.
Well yeah, that's a good point. There's more to radiation than just its type. A gamma source with a short half-life might not be safe if it is a very strong source or if there's lots of it or if you're standing too close! Comparisons of different types usually assume all the other factors are the same. For example UV is 'bad' because it is more ionising that 'safe' IR, but that doesn't mean that IR can't cook you if there is enough of it.
When you look at the spectrum of visible light, when the wavelength is long, the light is red, when the wavelength is short, the light is blue (violet). So actually there is something inherently red about longer waves :).
IDTIMWYTIM; Terms: multiple terms. An array or plethora of terms. Term's: a conjugation of the word 'term' and 'is'. ';': A semicolon, an English textual punctuation first used in the Italian Aldus Manutius to start a separate thought or list from a tangent.
Fun Fact: A common product of radioactive materials is Helium, since alpha particles are basically just Helium nuclei and beta particles are electrons, they combine and, boom, Helium.
I have an idea for an IDTTMWYTIM topic- the word 'genetic'. People identify everything under the sun from habits to preferences to physiological reactions as genetic; in many cases, it's far more complex. Even a 'genetic' predisposition to a disease isn't simply a straight up statistical probability of getting a disease.
My favorite thing to do is to give someone a smoke detector component to hold onto for several minutes, and then inform them that it is way more radioactive than uranium. The result is always hilarious.
My sympathies.. My parents both had cancer. Breast and lung and they both survived. The advancements we've made in the past few decades have turned a cancer diagnosis from a death sentence into a difficult, yet treatable time. What would you like to know in particular?
Yes! It is, but so is every other wavelength in the EM spectrum. The heat is causing a jump in the energy levels of the electrons which then emits a photon when it comes back down to ground level. The energy (or wavelength) of the photon depends on the energy the electron had. That energy, of course, came from the heat of the atom.
I think when he was rating them he was more putting them in order of how dangerous they are. Gamma are the most dangerous because they can get through most anything and ionize lots of stuff, whereas alpha is usually least dangerous because its not going to be able to penetrate enough to harm (unless, like hank said, you ingest it, in which case its trapped inside and can to lots of damage). To the best of my knowledge that's what I learned in chemistry
Both "Spelt" and "Spelled" are valid. Grammarians get too worked up about things like that (probably worried about people mixing up the past participle of spell with the type of grain or some such non-sense), but that of course was exactly the point you meant to illustrate.
hi there! I found some "computer radiation protection classes" (by accident). I havent known much about computer radiation. Because I study the whole day with my laptop (and my eyes get tired in the evening), I researched a bit (but havent found sth really helpful). Do you think it's worth it to buy these glasses or is this just humbug?
Dunno if it's just a placebo, but I have a set of the "computer radiation" glasses, and it does help with eyestrain from being on the computer all day.
A much needed video but neutron radiation was forgotten. This generally isn't a problem because it only exists around nuclear reactors and very special generators.
I think they were thinking about naming it "I Don't Think IT Means What You Think It Means". I also think I'm gonna get angry comments from people who think it's obvious, or that I shouldn't have responded that to what's obviously humorous, but it actually took me 4 episodes to solve this problem, so I thinks it's worth it. BTW, I also think I used the verb "think" a lot more than I think was necessary for this commentary to be understood by any thinking organism :)
positron radiation is the same as B radiation, except for the charge. B- is a electron emitted in a nuclear reaction. A B+ is a positron emitted in a nuclear reaction.
Microwaves can change flavors of food because its a much more intense way of heating than simply using a heating coil, and it can destroy / alter certain delicate molecules---including certain nutrients. . Normal direct heat simply applies heat to the fluid, whereas microwaves cause water molecules to vibrate at high frequency, which causes a lot of molecular friction, which creates the heat. This is capable of destroying / altering complex molecules.
I would say that this whole segment is kind of a preaching-to-the-choir type scenario, but now I'm kind of hoping you make a lot of these, so I can make a deck of QR code cards that link to all of them, so we may all be cited, validated smart-asses wherever we go.
"I don't think it means what you think it means" Or IDTIMWYTIM. "I don't think that means what you think it means" Or IDTTMWYTIM. Both can work because they would be used for different situations but still mean the same thing.
Cancer is basically when a cell loses its normal function and starts constantly dividing creating a tumor. Most cancers kill mechanicly (i.e. lymphoma makes your blood too thick to flow, brain cancer builds pressure inside your skull, lung cancer blocks air, etc) When radiation ionizes the atoms of your DNA it can create errors in it which confuse the enzymes trying to read it, and turn it into proteins. Most of the time these errors are fixed, but occasionally a mistake will slip through.
1:10 VLF radio waves aren't completely useless; low-frequency waves (like, kilometric wavelengths) undergo very little absorption even in *solid rock* which makes them very good for comms when you're in a cave. Or down a mine, or underground for some other reason. Of course, they're a bit difficult to generate and transmit, you can't really make a Yagi-Uda array ten kilometres long unless you happen to live in Texas, so instead your antenna is a bunch of copper stakes driven into the ground...
If you turn it to half speed Hank sounds like a drunk science teacher.
+Zminchu IT'S BEAUTIFUL WOW
+Zminchu Everyone sounds drunk when you do that. Especially if they are expressing personality.(2:28)
DUDE..LMAO
To be fair he sounds drunk even without speeding him down :P
omg lmao 😂😂
As an 11 year old just learning this, I find he really breaks down the definition of it and this definitely helped me understand it more. It's also somewhat funny which makes kids enjoy it and probably memorize it better. I'll be sure to tell my teacher to share this with the class so whenever I talk about it people don't start staring at me like I just called their mom a fat ogre. Thanks, mate! :)
happy 17 years of life
1:51
You forgot to mention that it will also make you turn into a giant green monster whenever you get angry.
Lol
@user-gk8fn8dl2syes
I took a Radiation Biology course a few years ago and to be honest...you covered a solid chunk of not only the first stuff we learned...but of what the general public should know in a very simple and concise manner. Well done! :D
I don't think IDT*I*MWYTIM means what you think it means.
I posted this on facebook for all my friends as we are all doing our GCSEs and this really helps with the old revision thing... on behalf of me and all my friends here in the UK doing our GCSEs, thanks Hank
Soo am I the only one that is bothered by the fact that the acronym in the video title and what he calls it in the video do not match?
No we r in the same road
Absolutely, I the only reason I was scanning the comments was the level of unease I continued to experience despite having replayed the introduction several times. Thank god you said something when you did, otherwise I could have easily spent hours scanning the comments in search of any similar mentioning of said unease! These things tend to hijack my conscious thoughts, sometimes for days on end, if not resolved.
RHP here. Super kudos to you for actually remaining essentially accurate for a talk on ionizing radiation. Actually you already crossed the 95% mark by differentiating between ionizing and non-ionizing radiation. No mention of free radical production in relation to DNA damage (rather than just direct ionization) is pretty easy to dismiss when you consider the 3:04 run-time of the episode.
Why can't my science teacher be this interesting..?
because your science teacher ins't called Michael. Michael is interesting in all ways... and no not in that 1 way for me. im straight. in all other ways, yes. like as if he is my brother and dad, teacher, engineer, supremacist and bank executive. he is it all.. to me. i hope he is all that to u too... hopefully including the other i excluded (no offence)
Dr Duwang Because your science teacher is old. That was easy. 😁
Alvaro Q I had an old science teacher who was interesting tho
ikr, don't we all wish we could have Hank, but mines still pretty darn cool
Because your science teacher doesn't rehearse and talks for more than four minutes at a time.
Do the word "Quantum" for IDTIMWYTIM. As a physicist I would be happy to help. My coworkers even botch it pretty often.
Gets bitten by giant cockroach.
+1 rads
Dammit
+Ender_Pro radroach*
+Anonymoose
well if he put radroach the joke wouldn't really be there.
thank you for doing this episode. way more people need to know this...
Great video as always, however I just want to clear a few things up:
Alpha radiation is the most ionising, but cannot travel far (a bit of paper will stop them, or even a few feet of air.).
Beta is less ionising, but can travel further (lead will do) and finally;
Gamma, the least ionising, yet it can travel extremely far (A lot of concrete, lead and other shiz).
I love how you teach us the wonders of science.You dont take it so seriously its boring and joke a little bit to keep people paying attention.
I think it's worth noting that many radar systems use radio waves, which is where the "RA" in radar comes from, and are very safe.
I wish you had posted this video a week ago!! My chemistry test had a section on types of radiation! This would have helped me study. Darn.
you should do (IDTIMWYTIM: entropy)
it says IONIZING RADIATION when the bold words of it come up, but at the bottom with the different radiations it's spelled IONISING............ is there something I'm missing or is this wrong?
Thanks for clearing this up for people! Radiation is my job and it's so...AJKFSFLKFJSDKL to explain to people with all of their misconceptions! You rock Hank. Always.
Hank green never ceases to amaze me
I think he messed up. Alpha particles are more ionizing than beta particles which are more ionizing than gamma rays, while it goes Gamma > beta > alpha in terms of penetration.
yea your right!
+Jozzarozzer i believe this is what your looking for
+Jozzarozzer alpha waves can be stopped by a sheet of paper, betas can be stopped by aluminum, and gamma needs lead.
n3tdh
There's more to it than just the material, gamma waves can't be stopped by 1cm of lead. The important part of the different materials is their density, but the thickness matters. You could stop all of them with different amounts of paper.
+Jozzarozzer it takes 3 ft of earth to stop gamma radiation. i never said 1 cm of lead i only said it takes lead. if it only took paper there would not be the need for fallout shelters to be buried. fallout shelters need the earth to stop the gamma radiation from the fallout. fallout is the falling radioactive dust that takes 2 weeks to clear the air and for the nuclear half life to reduce the gamma levels to a safe level after a nuclear explosion.
I've been watching these vids hoping to find out what IDTIMWYTIM stands for. FINALLY found it!!! Thanks Hank!
Funny how they always *say* "I Don't Think *That* Means What You Think It Means" but always write it as "IDT*I*MWYTIM"!
2:24, wait, beta particles are more ionising than Alpha particles, and less than gamma? That's the wrong way round isn't it? That would imply Gamma is the most ionising, and alpha the least?
Gamma is the least ionising, then beta, then comes Alpha by a massive amount, since it is way more ionising.
Gamma however is the most penetrating, then beta, then alpha (stopped by a few cm of air, or a bit of plastic/paper).
Hahaha, I was just thinking about that. Well Hank made a little slip, I'm sure he knows what he said wrong so let's let it slide for now ;D
Waitwaitwait. For one, I think ionizing is probably the wrong term here as that's usually used in refrence to causing an electron to ping off an atom by hitting it with too much electromagnetic energy (the high energy photons in the first bit). He probably meant damaging. Gamma rays have a truly MASSIVE amount of energy and if they hit an atom, it WILL lose an electron and probably heat up so much it breaks any covalent bond it was a part of. Beta particles are electrons moving fast and are less energetic than gamma rays, but more so than alpha particles, these collisions will probably set free an electron and might have enough energy left after bouncing off to do it again (as may the gamma). Alpha particles however are helium nuclei and probably cant to much more than hit an atom and jiggle it around a bit, if it slows down enough to just be a helium ion i guess it could suck a few electrons off neighboring atoms but since it doesn't have the speed to penetrate your skin the damage its capable of is minimal at best.
Will B I think, I'm dredging up articles and lessons i learned a long time ago and coupling it with some educated guesswork so I may be wrong here.
Will B Definitely right in the damaging sense. Alpha particles are hella dangerous because, well, they are kind of infinitely more massive bigger than Gamma rays. Like a bigger punch. But nevertheless they are less penetrative compared to Beta and Gamma. The question of ionization would probably depend a lot on the particles' velocity.
Gamma rays are photons so their "size" is kinda debatable and semi-meaningless. It ain't size that matters at the subatomic level, its energy, more energy does more damage, less does less. Alpha is the safest kind of radiation even once ingested (don't do it, but beta or gamma would still be worse).
Point of information, Hank: At the end when you were describing which type of radiation was most ionising, I think you got a little mixed up and meant to say "more penetrating." Alpha radiation is the most ionising as it has a +2 charge and attracts electrons quite strongly, but is the least penetrating because of this. Gamma is just a wave and is least likely to knock an electron out of an atom and create an ion, so it is the most pentrating but the least ionising.
If u just where my teacher! I LOVE THIS
As an instructor who often overviews evolution for my philosophy students, I EMPHATICALLY second this remark. Any video that briefly and humorously distinguishes Darwinian reproductive success from Herbert Spencer's social dribble gets my thumbs up!
hank, why do you say "I dont think that means what you think it means" every time when the acronym is IDTIMWYTIM ?
In health physics, we use numbers called quality factors to convert from units of dose rate (rad or Gray) to dose equivalent (rem or Sievert). The unit dose equivalent describes the amount of damage a given dose rate actually does to your body. To convert, you multiply the dose rate by the quality factor to get the dose equivalent. The quality factor for betas and gammas is 1. The quality factor for alphas is 20. Electrons love the +2 alphas and are easily stripped away from their nuclei.
The cellphone cancer thing has always been absurd to me.
Every part of your body is emitting infrared radiation just by being even close to Earth-like temperatures.
Microwaves carry less energy to mess with your DNA than infrared radiation, which carries less than visible light.
Basically, every atom in the universe warmer than the cold depths of space is emitting more energetic radiation than what your cell phone produces.
Microwaves have about as much ability to change your DNA as sound waves do.
I think it's a sound argument, I believe it's all business and politics people believe what they're told often... Then again your profile has a badass name, I might be biased.
I once heard this kid say "a girl got cancer in the same side of her head that she used her cell phone." That's like saying an elephant caused a building to collapse because it was the only elephant within 100 miles.
It's absurd because you've never looked into it and don't understand biological transduction and amplification. You also assume a linear dose response curve, which is also incorrect, something you would only know if you actually engaged with the literature instead of assuming you inherently knew what you were talking about. You're also ignoring the finer physics of the absorption spectrum of certain molecules, rotation and expansion of dipole molecules, etc.
Bottom line. Your core assumption is that the radiation has to be acting directly, rather than imparting information which alters the cell's behavior. If I sound a bit impatient it's because I am, I am so goddamn sick of this topic I can't wait for us all to be dead or it to be over, whichever comes first they'll both be a relief.
Excellent video! Extremely interesting, informative, concise and hilarious!! 🙂🙂
um..... beta particles (electrons and positrons that are beta minus and beta plus) are NOT more ionizing than alpha and LESS than gamma radiation, they are LESS ionizing than ALPHA and MORE than GAMMA radiation.... but they travel bigger distance than alpha and less distance than gamma radiation.... alpha particles are helium cores (that's 2 protons + 2 neutrons for you) stripped from electrons and are BIG (compared to beta electrons and insanely enormous compared to gamma photons) hence the shorter travel distance (the bigger you are the more stuff you hit) and the bigger ionizing power (the bigger you are the more stuff you hit and the harder you hit) it's like comparing a whale a care and a mouse traveling at 100 miles per hour what does more damage?
Very good point. ;-) I've got a bad habit of not reviewing my statements from both the positive and negative perspectives. Thanks for the clarification.
pickled vegetables will mess up your insides... needs more study indeed
Jesse Versluys Actually broccoli in vinegar or a spot of pickled cabbage will clean out your insides, and then any room you are in for several hours afterwards. People will again return to the room once all of the evil that was inside you also leaves the room - opening a window helps.
Rob Fraser Wasnt a spot of pickled cabbage responsible for all the crazy visions Ebenezer Scrooge was seeing?
Oh Hank, I love your smug little voice while you're talking about all the good radiation. So much snark.
: ( Awww. I thought he would crack a joke about the hulk.
probably one of the most necessary IDTIMWYTIM
So you always introduce the show as "I Don't Think THAT Means What You Think It Means.. wouldn't that be IDTTMWYTIM? .. not that it matters lol
I always get that ad whenever I watch these types of videos.
This guy... Always forgetting the first 'it'...
Got sad when this episode ended. ;(
I wanted more!
"IDTIMWYTIM" you don't even know what your own abbreviation mean????
+George Rios hanks says what it is, i dont know etc lol
+Klaudio Prela he said "I don't think that means what you think it means"
+George Rios yep that's it
+Klaudio Prela it should be "I don't think it means what you think it means" if not the fix the abbreviation... Just saying
+George Rios Lmao!!! Grammar troll......
Took the words right outta my mouth bro. Well said!
Exactly! Nice explanation.
one of my favorite newfound channels
Boy, I used to think I was pretty well informed. This information about radiation was completely new to me. Thanks, Hank!
Neutronic interaction with matter is quite different from standard particle interactions. It is more about getting enough nuclei in a specific amount of space to maximize interaction. That's why things like carbon and heavy water (deuterium) are excellent moderators; they pack a lot more nuclei per unit mass/volume giving them decent neutron cross-sections for scattering and absorption. However gamma radiation is also produced from neutron scatter, which requires denser shielding to mitigate.
Excellent. An additional note: Many people believe that substances can be made radioactive by exposing them to some kind of radiation. That is only true for neutron particles (not mentioned in the vid), and only for some substances (pure water, for example, cannot be made radioactive). Free neutrons are generated for a microsecond during a nuclear bomb blast, and continuously from nuclear reactors. In all other cases, radioactivity is not "catching".
No, and that's why I'd love for Hank to cover this topic. A theory is a conglomeration of MULTIPLE hypotheses. String theory, the theory of gravity, or the theory of evolution are explanations for the universe that are justified by many smaller hypotheses. These hypotheses, which are observed/tested individually, are summarized by a theory-- i.e., gravity has been tested in many ways and the theory explains the results. Most people think a theory is just a hypothesis that can't ever be proven.
Yeah my teacher told me the same today.
Alpha travels a few cm in air but it's very ionizing.
Beta travels about 10 cm(or less) in air but is less ionizing than alpha.
Gamma travels very far but is the least ionizing.
thanks for this great info! i feel smarter today than i was yesterday
appropriate Fukashima radiation volcano info. more please.
bring back this series!!!
@Zastanick The one that can see IR would basically be able to see heat signatures, like an infared camera; the one with UV would not be able to see much, pretty much just stars and tanning beds. There is not a lot of stuff on Earth which gives off UV radiation. The one with extra cones in its eyes would just have sharper vison, not be able to see more colours.
Like the content of this video, Hank. I know it may be too much to ask, but any chance you could do a video on enzymes? I have an exam at 9am BST tomorrow, and I learn more with these videos than I ever have with a book.
Your physics teacher is correct and so I think is Hank. Hank can sometimes use slightly vague phrases like gamma is 'worst' or alpha 'generally doesn't cause damage'. By this he means that despite now ionising alpha radiation is it tends to only ionise your outermost skin cells, which are already dead. Gamma could potentially ionise your insides, because it is so penetrating.
An acronym is pronounceable. IDTIMWYTIM is actually an initialism. See an earlier blog brothers video for this discussion.
Yes, yes i have... And the point i am making is that while the labels are convenient and and may make things slightly easier to understand, there is absolutely nothing wrong with inverting the spectrum if everyone still understands what you are talking about. Our brains interpret the wavelengths of light that enter the eyes in certain ways, and we later learn to label them are colours.
You definitely got my vote on that one. All food is organic and contains chemicals, but -- yet again -- people generally perceive these words as being antonymous.
IIRC, cellphones are in the 8-900Mhz area,and/or the 1800-1900Mhz area,depending.
Wifi is around 2450Mhz (2.45Ghz). Microwave ovens also operate right at 2.45Ghz,but at Much higher power levels (in the neighborhood of 1000Watts),and it's contained within a box.
So,Wifi and Microwaves,etc. are all in the same area,and yes,cellphones would be slightly to the left of those.
That was an entire chapter of AP Chemsitry in 3 minutes. THANK YOU!! :)
Note to Hank. You got the ionising effect of Alpha particles and Gamma rays relative to Beta particles mixed up. Gamma rays are the least ionising, Beta particles are slightly more ionising than gamma rays, and alpha particles are the most ionising of the three. I'm sorry if this has already been said.
IR is pretty much my favorite region of the electromagnetic spectrum. It's useful in oh so many ways.
There are two ways that radiation can harm organisms: the first, ionization of tissues was mentioned. The second, unmentioned, is that microwaves and infrared, which are non-ionizing, can heat tissues (think microwave oven) and essentially cook them into death. Both of these modes must be considered when making judgements about the safety of EM radiation.
(EM radiation is that generated as waves or rays, as discussed first by Hank. The EM specifies that from the more general term).
Point of order: the Earth is mostly warmed by shortwave radiation (visible and UV). IR is associated with "warmth" because black bodies at temperatures common on the Earth's surface have their peak wavelength in the IR, but the peak of the Sun's radiation is in fact in the visible. (It's green.)
You've been doing a good job with these. I don't mean to criticize; I just wanted to do my part.
OH GOSH! That stuff HURTS!!! I've had so many CT and MRIs with that in the past year, it's crazy!
Feel your pain... Xp
I would like to see a IDTTMWYTIM on the term "Quantum Computer" also String Theory...maybe just a regular episode with String Theory because I would want to show it to my friends. Pretty much for the same reason as when I try to explain Entropy or Quantum Entanglement to people and I get frustrated and pull up bits of Through The Worm Hole on any nearby browsing device. You and Morgan Freeman just explain things better than most.
Don't forget about all the others on his team, as shown in the credits of each of scishow's videos.
Interesting video!
This is an invitation to see an artist theory on the physics of light and time!
This theory is based on two postulates
1. Is that the quantum wave particle function Ψ represents the forward passage of time ∆E ∆t ≥ h/2π itself
2. Is that Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle ∆×∆p×≥h/4π that is formed by the w- function is the same uncertainty we have with any future event that we can interact with turning the possible into the actual!
Woah woah woah, I've been thinking for a while now, thank you.
cont, gamma is in fact the least ionizing but due to the fact that it is actually a wave means it is very penetrating so any ionization that does occur is more likely to occur in internal organs and therefore cause more damage which is way it is considered the most dangerous.
0:47
Microwaves only sometimes carry cell phone traffic. Microwaves are used to bounce T1 lines to another cell site if renting a LEC land line is too expensive/unrealistic. Otherwise T1s are carried via land lines.
I love learning from Hank :)
I have a GCSE about this soon, so thanks Hank for your help.
Yes, but not for that reason. They're sorted by wavelength. Radio waves are about 10^3 meters, while gamma rays are 10^-12, and all the others are in between (look up "electromagnetic spectrum" if you're curious). Those with shorter wavelengths are more ionizing, which should make intuitive sense--a radio wave, being 1000 meters long, can't get into your cells like a 0.000000000001 meter gamma ray.
... Have you looked at the wavelength of different colors of light? That is what it is generally based on. 470nm (ish) for blue and 670nm (ish) for red. Our graphs of radiation often will add color because we like to make it easier to discern. We usually take the radiation we can see (light) and spread it out across the entire radiation spectrum.
Well yeah, that's a good point. There's more to radiation than just its type. A gamma source with a short half-life might not be safe if it is a very strong source or if there's lots of it or if you're standing too close!
Comparisons of different types usually assume all the other factors are the same.
For example UV is 'bad' because it is more ionising that 'safe' IR, but that doesn't mean that IR can't cook you if there is enough of it.
When you look at the spectrum of visible light, when the wavelength is long, the light is red, when the wavelength is short, the light is blue (violet). So actually there is something inherently red about longer waves :).
IDTIMWYTIM; Terms: multiple terms. An array or plethora of terms. Term's: a conjugation of the word 'term' and 'is'. ';': A semicolon, an English textual punctuation first used in the Italian Aldus Manutius to start a separate thought or list from a tangent.
Fun Fact: A common product of radioactive materials is Helium, since alpha particles are basically just Helium nuclei and beta particles are electrons, they combine and, boom, Helium.
The best show EVAAAAAAAA!!!
I have an idea for an IDTTMWYTIM topic- the word 'genetic'. People identify everything under the sun from habits to preferences to physiological reactions as genetic; in many cases, it's far more complex. Even a 'genetic' predisposition to a disease isn't simply a straight up statistical probability of getting a disease.
Awesome!!!! I work at a nuclear power plant and your video is a good primer.
My favorite thing to do is to give someone a smoke detector component to hold onto for several minutes, and then inform them that it is way more radioactive than uranium. The result is always hilarious.
Great idea!
My sympathies.. My parents both had cancer. Breast and lung and they both survived. The advancements we've made in the past few decades have turned a cancer diagnosis from a death sentence into a difficult, yet treatable time. What would you like to know in particular?
Yes! It is, but so is every other wavelength in the EM spectrum. The heat is causing a jump in the energy levels of the electrons which then emits a photon when it comes back down to ground level. The energy (or wavelength) of the photon depends on the energy the electron had. That energy, of course, came from the heat of the atom.
I think when he was rating them he was more putting them in order of how dangerous they are. Gamma are the most dangerous because they can get through most anything and ionize lots of stuff, whereas alpha is usually least dangerous because its not going to be able to penetrate enough to harm (unless, like hank said, you ingest it, in which case its trapped inside and can to lots of damage). To the best of my knowledge that's what I learned in chemistry
Both "Spelt" and "Spelled" are valid. Grammarians get too worked up about things like that (probably worried about people mixing up the past participle of spell with the type of grain or some such non-sense), but that of course was exactly the point you meant to illustrate.
hi there! I found some "computer radiation protection classes" (by accident). I havent known much about computer radiation. Because I study the whole day with my laptop (and my eyes get tired in the evening), I researched a bit (but havent found sth really helpful). Do you think it's worth it to buy these glasses or is this just humbug?
Dunno if it's just a placebo, but I have a set of the "computer radiation" glasses, and it does help with eyestrain from being on the computer all day.
A much needed video but neutron radiation was forgotten. This generally isn't a problem because it only exists around nuclear reactors and very special generators.
I think they were thinking about naming it "I Don't Think IT Means What You Think It Means". I also think I'm gonna get angry comments from people who think it's obvious, or that I shouldn't have responded that to what's obviously humorous, but it actually took me 4 episodes to solve this problem, so I thinks it's worth it.
BTW, I also think I used the verb "think" a lot more than I think was necessary for this commentary to be understood by any thinking organism :)
Topic suggestion - "Microgravity" as displayed on the ISS, which isn't lack of gravity but effects of freefall.
positron radiation is the same as B radiation, except for the charge. B- is a electron emitted in a nuclear reaction. A B+ is a positron emitted in a nuclear reaction.
I love you (in a non-marriage threatening way). You are just awesome. Thank you for being.
Microwaves can change flavors of food because its a much more intense way of heating than simply using a heating coil, and it can destroy / alter certain delicate molecules---including certain nutrients.
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Normal direct heat simply applies heat to the fluid, whereas microwaves cause water molecules to vibrate at high frequency, which causes a lot of molecular friction, which creates the heat. This is capable of destroying / altering complex molecules.
I would say that this whole segment is kind of a preaching-to-the-choir type scenario, but now I'm kind of hoping you make a lot of these, so I can make a deck of QR code cards that link to all of them, so we may all be cited, validated smart-asses wherever we go.
It just hit me, I'm learning something! I get so caught up in Hank Green's awesomeness, that I forget the fact that I'm learning! DFTBA!
"I don't think it means what you think it means" Or IDTIMWYTIM.
"I don't think that means what you think it means" Or IDTTMWYTIM.
Both can work because they would be used for different situations but still mean the same thing.
Cancer is basically when a cell loses its normal function and starts constantly dividing creating a tumor. Most cancers kill mechanicly (i.e. lymphoma makes your blood too thick to flow, brain cancer builds pressure inside your skull, lung cancer blocks air, etc) When radiation ionizes the atoms of your DNA it can create errors in it which confuse the enzymes trying to read it, and turn it into proteins. Most of the time these errors are fixed, but occasionally a mistake will slip through.
1:10 VLF radio waves aren't completely useless; low-frequency waves (like, kilometric wavelengths) undergo very little absorption even in *solid rock* which makes them very good for comms when you're in a cave. Or down a mine, or underground for some other reason. Of course, they're a bit difficult to generate and transmit, you can't really make a Yagi-Uda array ten kilometres long unless you happen to live in Texas, so instead your antenna is a bunch of copper stakes driven into the ground...