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Nuclear Force Research Papers

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Nuclear forces have been around the human race since the beginning of time, though it was not until recently that people began to understand it. Nuclear decay has helped scientists discover how long unstable isotopes maintain their unstable state before becoming a more stable isotope. The study of nuclear chemistry has given people in the medical field powerful tools to combat feared illnesses such as cancer. Nuclear forces have also provided an alternative energy source to coal and natural gas. The field of nuclear chemistry encompasses many aspects including nuclear decay, radioactive elements in medicine, and nuclear energy. Alpha, beta, gamma - to many people those three words are the first three letters of the Greek alphabet, though …show more content…

One use for a radio active tracer is to determine the source of internal bleeding. Doctors take a blood sample and add the radioactive samples to the blood. Once the blood with the radio tag has been injected back into the patient,special cameras that are set up to detect the radiation of the element. The pictures taken by the cameras help doctors diagnose patients. (“Nuclear Medicine”) One of the biggest benefits of radioactive tracers is their ability to enhance CT scans. Without the aid of radioactive tracers CT scans are a great tool in the medical field, though when tracers are added the picture becomes much more well defined giving doctors an extra hand in diagnosing …show more content…

Nuclear medicine however has made it possible to treat cancer. One of the forms of cancer treatments that involve radioactive materials is radiation therapy. Radiation therapy utilizes X and gamma rays to target and kill the cancer cells. “Radiation therapy kills cancer cells by damaging their DNA. Radiation can either damage the DNA directly or create charged particles in cells that in turn damage the DNA.” (“Radiation Therapy for Cancer”) Radiation therapy affects only the selected area of treatment, whereas other treatments such as chemo therapy affects the entire body. Radiation therapy can be administered two different ways. The first method of administration is internally. Radiation is injected directly into the blood stream where it travels to the cancerous area. The other method of administering radiation therapy is externally. “Many types of external-beam radiation therapy are delivered using a machine called a linear accelerator (also called a LINAC). A LINAC uses electricity to form a stream of fast-moving subatomic particles. This creates high-energy radiation that may be used to treat cancer.” (“Radiation Therapy for

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