OCR GCSE PHYSICS A Radioactive materials

This section of the website contains suggestions for material that could be used with the OCR 21st century Science GCSE Physics Specification.

OCR is not affiliated with the author of the site and has had no involvement with the content of this website.

I am grateful to OCR for permission to reproduce adapted versions of text from their 21st century Science Specification on this site. For the full version of the specification please see: OCR Physics A J635

P3.1 Radioactive materials

Radioactive materials and ionizing radiation
Radioactivity (14-16)
Radioactivity and ions (14-16)

Background radiation
Background radiation (14-16)

Teachers/OHTs/Background radiation
Teachers/OHTs/Background pie chart

Structure of the atom - electron, proton, neutron and nucleus
Atomic structure (14-16)
Nucleus (14-16)

Isotopes
Isotopes (14-16)

Radioactivity
Radioactivity (14-16)

Types of nuclear radiation
Radioactivity types (14-16)

Range of radiations in different materials
Radioactivity types (14-16)

Radioactive decay
16-19/Nuclear physics/Radioactivity/Radioactive decay
Radioactivity (14- 16)

Teachers/OHTs/Nuclear physics/Radioactive decay

Half life
Half life (14-16)

14-16/Nuclear physics/Experiments/Half life dice
14-16/Nuclear physics/Experiments/Half life water
Teachers/Creative teaching ideas/Nuclear

14-16/Nuclear physics/Problems/Radioactive decay and half-life
14-16/Nuclear physics/Problems/Half life

The wide variety of half lives and calculations based on half life
Half life (14-16)

14-16/Nuclear physics/Problems/Radioactivity
14-16/Nuclear physics/Problems/Radioactive decay grid
14-16/Nuclear physics/Problems/Radioactive materials 1

P3.2 Handling radioactive materials and nuclear waste safely

Ionising radiation and damage to living cells
Radioactivity (14-16)
Biological effects of radioactivity (16-19)
Radioactivity units (16-19)

Uses of radioactivity
Uses of radioisotopes (14-16)

Radioactivity units
Radioactivity units (16-19)
(Further information on this section is being prepared)

Irradiation and contamination
Radioactivity (14-16)
Radioactivity safety precautions (16-19)

Background radiation
Background radiation (14-16)

Teachers/OHTs/Background radiation
Teachers/OHTs/Background pie chart

Safety and radioactivity
Radioactivity (14-16)
Biological effects of radioactivity (16-19)
Radioactivity units (16-19) (Further information on this section is being prepared)

14-16/Nuclear physics/Problems/Radioactive materials 2

P3.3 Generation of electricity. Nuclear waste

Electricity as a secondary energy source
Energy (11-14)

Electrical energy production
Electrical energy production (14-16)

Sankey diagrams and energy transfers
Sankey diagrams (14-16)
Energy (11-14)

Carbon fuel based power stations and carbon dioxide emission
Energy production (14-16)

Nuclear energy
Nuclear fission (14-16)
Nuclear fission reactor (14-16)
Energy from fission (14-16)

Nuclear power stations
Nuclear fission reactor (14- 16)

Nuclear waste and types of nuclear waste
Nuclear waste (14-16)
Reactors and nuclear waste (14-16)

Comparison of different energy sources
(Much of the references and resources for this section are still in preparation)

14-16/Nuclear physics/Problems/Radioactive materials 3

P3.4 Health risks of radioactive materials

Radioactivity and safety
Radioactivity (14-16)
Biological effects of radioactivity (16-19)
Radioactivity units (16- 19)
(Much of the references and resources for this section are still in preparation)