AQA GCSE Physics · 8463
Specification 4.4.3.1, 4.4.3.3, 4.6.2.3 · Paper 1, Paper 2
A measure of the effect of ionising radiation received by a person, taking account of factors including the type of radiation and the part of the body exposed.
Revise: Background radiationIf it accumulates indoors, people may inhale it and receive a radiation dose as it decays. The amount released varies with the local geology, so areas with different underlying rocks can have different background levels. For example, the cited UK dose comparisons give a much higher average annual radon dose for people in Cornwall than the UK-wide annual average radon dose.
- Revise: Uses of nuclear radiation
A measure of the biological effect produced when ionising radiation is absorbed; AQA gives the sievert (Sv) as its unit, although students do not have to recall this unit.