What is the difference between radioactivity and radiation?

Question

Are they the same thing? Are they different? Is it a thing like all radioactivity is radiation but not all radiation is radioactivity? Thanks!

In: 3

Answer 1

Radioactivity is the process of generating radiation.

So when you say “that object is radioactive”, that means it’s generating radiation.

“Radiation” is a collective term for a number of different types of energetic particles that are given off by radioactive materials.

EDIT: This answer is only in the “radioactivity” context. See Chromotron’s comment below, “radiation” can refer to many other things too, which *don’t* come from “radioactive” sources.