This exam focus covers Exam Focus within Uses & Hazards of Radiation for GCSE Physics. Revise Uses & Hazards of Radiation in Atomic Structure for GCSE Physics with 17 exam-style questions and 5 flashcards. This topic appears regularly enough that it should still be part of a steady revision cycle. It is section 14 of 16 in this topic. Treat this as a marking guide for what examiners are looking for, not just a fact list.
🎯 Exam Focus
Frequently Examined
Examined in Edexcel 1PH0/1 (Paper 1). Edexcel mark schemes for this topic carefully distinguish "radioactive contamination" (source inside/on body) from "irradiation" (external exposure) — using the wrong term costs marks. Risk-benefit analysis questions carry 4–6 marks on 1PH0/1 and require explicit judgement weighing both sides. "Suggest" is used for novel medical or industrial applications where students must reason from radiation properties.
Uses and hazards questions test your ability to match radiation properties to applications and explain safety measures:
- Choose appropriate radiation for use — justify with penetrating/ionising properties (3 marks)
- Explain why short half-life for medical tracer (2 marks)
- Distinguish irradiation from contamination (2 marks)
- Explain three safety precautions and why they work (3 marks)
- Evaluate the risks and benefits of a given use (4–6 mark extended question)
Practice questions for Uses & Hazards of Radiation
Which type of radiation is used in smoke detectors?
Explain how a smoke detector uses an alpha source to detect smoke.