Why pH Measurements Are Important. Chemicals reactions in water are affected by the acidity or alkalinity of the solution. This is important not only in the chemistry lab, but in industry, cooking, and medicine. pH is carefully regulated in human cells and blood. The normal pH range for blood is between 7.35 and 7.45.
The radiation one typically encounters is one of four types: alpha radiation, beta radiation, gamma radiation, and x radiation. Neutron radiation is also encountered in nuclear power plants and high-altitude flight and emitted from some industrial radioactive sources. Alpha Radiation. 2  Alpha radiation is a heavy, very short-range particle and is actually an ejected helium nucleus. 3  Some characteristics of alpha radiation are: 4  Examples of some alpha emitters: radium, radon, uranium, thorium.
Gamma Rays. Gamma radiation from nuclear decay is a form of electromagnetic energy, as visible light, radio waves and X-rays are. They have very high energy compared to other types of radiation, and they have more penetrating power than X-rays; typically, lead, steel or thick concrete shielding is needed to block them.