Question

Arrange the $\alpha ,\beta \text{and}\gamma$ radiation in ascending order of their :
(i) ionising power,
(ii) penetrating power.

Answer 1

(i) Ionisation : Process of knocking off of an electron from an atom when an energetic particle strikes an atom. Alpha particles have the maximum mass and due to their size, they interact with medium particles most and ionize the medium more easily.
Order of ionisation power :
Gamma rays$\left(\gamma \right)$ < Beta $\left(\beta \right)$ < Alpha $\left(\alpha \right)$

(ii) Penetration : Gamma rays are high energy electromagnetic waves. As gamma rays are massless and have high energy, they can pass through a medium without interacting much with the medium particles. Hence, they have high penetrating power.
Order of penetration power :
Alpha$\left(\alpha \right)$ < Beta$\left(\beta \right)$ < Gamma rays $\left(\gamma \right)$