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Electromagnetic Waves - Gamma rays.
Electromagnetic
waves with a wavelength shorter
than X-rays
are called gamma rays or gamma radiation (not gamma waves).
Gamma rays may be emitted from radioactive materials.
Low intensity gamma radiation can damage living cells and cause cancer.
High intensity
gamma radiation will kill cells.
It is used in a technique called
radiotherapy to treat
cancer
by targeting the cancer cells with a
beam of radiation
and then rotating the source of the beam as
shown below.
The normal
cells receive a lower dose of
gamma radiation
than the cancer cells, where all the rays meet.
Radiotherapy aims to kill
the cancer cells
while doing as little damage as possible to healthy normal cells.
Gamma
radiation is used to kill
microorganisms, which is called
sterilising.
It is used to sterilise food
and hospital equipment such as
surgical
instruments.
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