A beam is deflected by a magnetic field and is stopped by a thin aluminium strip but not stopped by a sheet of paper. The beam could consist of

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Consider what each radiation type is and how it interacts with materials and magnetic fields.
Option a: alpha particles. These are heavy, positively charged helium nuclei. They are strongly ionizing but have low penetration; a sheet of paper can stop them, and a thin aluminium strip would also stop them easily. Since the beam in the scenario is stopped by aluminium, alpha particles could also be a possibility, but the key clue is the mention of magnetic deflection. Alpha particles have relatively large mass and charge, so they do deflect in a magnetic field, but they are typically stopped by very thin materials like paper, not needing aluminium specifically. In this context, the combination is not the best match, so this option is less clearly correct.
Option b: gamma rays. Gamma rays are high-energy photons with no charge, so they are not deflected by magnetic fields at all. They also require thick shielding (like lead) to be significantly attenuated; a thin aluminium strip would not stop them. The fact that the beam is stopped by aluminium makes gamma rays unlikely.
Option c: beta particles. Beta particles are fast electrons (charged). They are deflected by magnetic fields due to their charge and relatively small mass. They are easily stopped by a thin metal foil such as aluminium, whereas a sheet of paper is generally not sufficient to stop them. This matches the given observations precisely: deflected by magnetic field and stopped by a thin aluminium strip, but not by paper.
Option d: neutrons. Neutrons are neutral and therefore are not deflected by magnetic fields. They also have varying penetration depending on material, but the lack of magnetic deflection makes them inconsistent with the described setup.
In summary, the description aligns with beta particles, since they respond to magnetic fields and can be stopped by aluminium, while alpha particles and neutrons would behave differently with respect to magnetic deflection, and gamma rays would not be stopped by aluminium or deflected by a magnetic field. The best-supported choice here is beta particles.

MUF0122 Physics Unit 2 - Semester 2, 2025 11.8 Radioactivity

A beam is deflected by a magnetic field and is stopped by a thin aluminium strip but not stopped by a sheet of paper. The beam could consist of

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