| A | B |
|---|
| Ionizing radition | enough energy to knock electrons from atoms forming ions capable of causing cancer (gamma-Xrays-UV) |
| High Quality Energy | organized and concentrated, can perform useful work (fossil fuel & nuclear) |
| Low Quality Energy | disorganized, dispersed (heat in ocean or air wind, solar) |
| First Law of Thermodynamics | energy is niether created nor destroyed but may be converted from one form to another |
| Second Law of Thermodynamics | When energy is changed from one form to another, some useful energy is always degraded to lower quality energy (usually heat) |
| Natural radioactive decay | unstopable radioisotopes decay releasing gamma rays, alpha & beta particles |
| Half life | the time it takes for 1/2 the mass of a radioisotope to decay |
| Estimate of how long a radioactive isotope must be stored untill it decays to a safe level | aproximately 10 half lives |
