Cobalt 60 (Radioactive Isotopes) trivia

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Test your knowledge with these top questions!

Question 1

Cobalt-60 sources aid radiotherapy mainly because they emit:

Cobalt-60 decay releases penetrating gamma photons that can deliver an external beam to tumors.

Question 2

Cobalt-60 decays into which isotope?

Beta-minus decay changes one neutron into a proton, moving the nucleus from cobalt to nickel.

Question 3

How do nuclear reactors commonly produce Cobalt-60?

Stable cobalt-59 captures a neutron in a reactor, becoming radioactive cobalt-60.

Question 4

After one half-life, what remains of a Cobalt-60 sample?

Cobalt-60's half-life is about 5.27 years, so each interval leaves roughly half the original radioactive atoms.