Question: Why are the 3 main types of harmful radiation in a nuclear fallout named after greek letters

Dilwar Hussain answered on 20 Nov 2013:

That’s a good question. There’s actually 4 types of radiation. These are alpha, beta, gamma and neutron radiation. Radiation is all around us in the environment, the buildings, soil & rock, the food we eat, hospitals, nuclear reactors and the like. Alpha is basically helium nucleus. They can’t go through thick objects and are stopped by skin or paper. These are not harmful but they can be if you consume it or it enters your body somehow. Beta is basically electrons with a certain energy. They go through objects more than alpha but are stopped by thin aluminium. Gamma isn’t a particle like alpha or beta but it’s an electromagnetic wave like x-rays. These can penetrate through your body but it can be stopped by a few centimeters of lead. Each of these types of radiation have different energies. Neutron radiation are just neutrons from an atom at a certain energy. These radiation types are produced because atoms are unstable and they become stable by emitting these particles.