HBO’s Chernobyl-related question. There are radioactive elements in nature. They are unstable and thus constantly radiating particles. But what exactly happens when those particles hit non-radioactive object like human body or whatever else? Isn’t they supposed to interact with it somehow and then fly away instantly? Why and how, instead, objects can harvest those particles, keep them and then re-radiate them over long period of time, and, thus, become radioactive?
In: Physics
Imagine an open bag of flour in your kitchen, which you accidentally knock over. Most of the flour will still be on your kitchen counter, but some flour will become airborne. Anyway it will be a mess, and if you don’t clean up immediately you will end up with a kitchen where flour will end up everywhere.
The flour spreads by contamination. It does not turn other materials into flour, but it will stick to other materials or might become airborne. Anyway, it has a tendency to spread around and will continue to spread around.
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