Topic 1
Radiation in treatment and medicine

What are the methods that medical physicists can do to help doctors solve medical problems?

What is radiation?

What does the intensity of radiation depend on?

What is the equation of Intensity?

Describe the refraction of light by converging and diverging lenses?

Relate the power of a lens to its shape?

What is the equation for power of a lens?

What is the lens equation?

Identify the following features in a diagram of the eye – cornea, iris, pupil, lens, retina, ciliary muscles

How is light focused?

What is the average adults human eye near point and far point?

Explain the symptoms and causes of short sight?

Explain the symptoms and causes of long sight?

What is the treatment for short sight and long sight?

What is refraction?

How is TIR used in optical fibres?

What are the uses of optical fibres in endoscopes?

What are the uses of ultrasound in diagnosis and treatment?

Topic 2
X-rays and ECGs

How do you produce X-rays?

Explain why a beam of charged particles is equivalent to an electric current?

How does the absorption of X-rays occur?

Describe how X-rays are used in CAT scans?

Describe how X-rays are used in fluoroscopes?

Give a comparison of the risks and advantages of using X-rays for treatment and diagnosis?

Explain how action potentials can be measured with an electrocardiogram (ECG) to monitor heart action?

Relate the characteristic shape of a normal ECG to heart action?

What is a pacemaker?

Describe the principles and use of pulse oximetry?

Topic 3
Production, uses and risks of ionising radiation from radioactive sources

Evaluate the social and ethical issues relating to the use of radioactive techniques in medical physics?

Describe the properties of alpha?

Describe the properties of beta?

Describe the properties of gamma?

Describe the properties of positron?

Describe the properties of neutron radiation?

Recall the relative masses and relative electric charges of protons, neutrons, electrons and positrons?

In an atom the number of protons equal what?

Describe the process of Beta - decay

Describe the process of Beta + decay

Explain the effects on the atomic (proton) number and mass (nucleon) number of Beta - decay?

Explain the effects on the atomic (proton) number and mass (nucleon) number of beta + decay?

Explain the effects on the atomic (proton) number and mass (nucleon) number of Alpha decay?

Explain the effects on the atomic (proton) number and mass (nucleon) number of Gamma radiation?

Describe the features of the N-Z curve for stable isotopes?

How can you identify isotopes as radioactive in the stability curve?

What happens to nuclei with high values of Z (above 82)?

What happens to an isotope above the curve?

What happens to an isotope below the curve?

Proton and neutron each contain three particles called what?

Describe the arrangement of up and down quarks in protons?

Describe the arrangement of up and down quarks in neutrons?

Use given data to explain the arrangement of up and down quarks in protons in terms of charge and mass?

Use given data to explain the arrangement of up and down quarks in neutrons in terms of charge and mass?

Explain the process of Beta - decay in terms of quarks?

Explain the process of Beta + decay in terms of quarks?

What happens to nuclei that have undergone radioactive decay?

Describe the dangers of ionising radiation?

Explain the precautions taken to ensure the safety of people exposed to radiation?

Compare and contrast the treatment of tumours using radiation applied internally or externally?

Describe palliative care?

Explain some of the uses of radioactive substances in diagnosis of medical conditions?

Explain why isotopes used in PET scanners have to be produced nearby?

Topic 4
Motion of particles

Discuss how instruments, including particle accelerators, can help scientists develop better explanations about the physical world?

Discuss reasons for collaborative, international research into big scientific questions?

How is an object travelling in a circle motion?

Explain how particle accelerators called cyclotrons cause charged particles to move in a circular or spiral path?

Certain stable elements can be bombarded with proton radiation to do what?

Describe the use of particle accelerators (cyclotrons)?

What is an elastic collision?

What is an inelastic collision?

What can gamma rays be produced by?

Is momentum conserved in positron/electron Annihilation?

Is mass energy conserved in positron/electron Annihilation?

Explain the use of radio isotopes in PET scanners?

Topic 5
Kinetic theory and gases

What is the kinetic theory for the state of matter solid?

What is the kinetic theory for the state of matter liquid?

What is the kinetic theory for the state of matter gas?

Explain the pressure of a gas in terms of the motion of its particles?

Describe the effect of changing the temperature of a gas on the speed of its particles?

Describe the term absolute zero, -273 degrees Celsius?

How do you convert from degrees Celsius to kelvins?

How do you convert from kelvins to degrees Celsius?

What is the Kelvin temperature of a gas directly proportional to?