Does it mean that some of the atoms have absorbed neutrons and are now an unstable isotope thus emitting their own neutrons? How are irradiated things dangerous?
In: Physics
If you irradiate a heavy element you can convert it to a more radioactive form, like converting uranium into plutonium.
That is a rare edge case though, it’s mostly just a myth from cartoons and comic books that radiation itself makes things radioactive. The real thing is that when people talk about cases they’d be around radiation it’s hypothetical talk about a nuclear war or powerplant explosion or something where the physical dust and material would be physically on things. if something was placed on an object that was radioactive from bomb fallout it would itself become radioactive because transferring even a tiny bit of ash or dust would be enough to be a source of radiation.
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