Physics

Uses of Radioactivity

There are a lot of uses of radioactivity in medical science, agriculture and industries. In medical science especially to treat incurable cancer, the uses of radioactivity are frequent now-a-days. In medical science, the radioactive isotopes are used as radioactive tracers to diagnose different diseases like blockage of kidney, thyroid problems etc. In agriculture, radioactive tracers are being successfully used, especially to develop the high yielding variety of seeds and in the research to produce the special type of fertilizer necessary for trees.

The radioactivity is also widely used in industries. To make the equipment germless, to control the thickness of paper in the paper mill, to identify the presence of smoke in the fire, to verify the welding of metals, the radioactivity is being successfully used. It is also used to measure the quantity of different elements in the minerals. Even the radioactive tracers are being used successfully to diagnose diseases.

The hands and number of many watches are seen glittering even in the dark. This happens because the hands and the numbers in the watches are covered with a mixture of radioactive thorium and zinc sulfide, as a result, they glitter. Radioactivity is also used to determine the age or time of things of millions of years old.