Consider the following statements with reference to radioactive emissi...
Radioactivity is the property exhibited by certain types of matter of emitting energy and subatomic particles spontaneously. It is, in essence, an attribute of individual atomic nuclei. An unstable nucleus will decompose spontaneously, or decay, into a more stable configuration but will do so only in a few specific ways by emitting certain particles or certain forms of electromagnetic energy.
Radioactive decay is a property of several naturally occurring elements as well as of artificially produced isotopes of the elements. The rate at which a radioactive element decays is expressed in terms of its half-life; i.e., the time required for one-half of any given quantity of the isotope to decay.
The emissions of the most common forms of spontaneous radioactive decay are the alpha (α) particle, the beta (β) particle, the gamma (γ) ray, and the neutrino. The alpha particle is actually the nucleus of a helium-4 atom, with two positive charges He (mass number 4, atomic number 2). Such charged atoms are called ions. The neutral helium atom has two electrons outside its nucleus balancing these two charges.
Beta particles may be negatively charged (beta minus, symbol e−), or positively charged (beta plus, symbol e+). The beta minus [β−] particle is actually an electron created in the nucleus during beta decay without any relationship to the orbital electron cloud of the atom. The beta plus particle, also called the positron, is the antiparticle of the electron; when brought together, two such particles will mutually annihilate each other.
Gamma rays are electromagnetic radiations such as radio waves, light, and X-rays.
Beta radioactivity also produces the neutrino and antineutrino, particles that have no charge and very little mass, symbolized by ν and ν, respectively. Thus only gamma rays and neutrino are electrically neutral and not alpha or beta particles. Hence statement 1 is not correct.
Beta radiation is more penetrating than alpha radiation. It can pass through the skin, but it is absorbed by a few centimetres of body tissue or a few millimetres of aluminium. Gamma radiation is the most penetrating of the three radiations.
Alpha particles can easily be shielded by a single sheet of paper and cannot penetrate the outer dead layer of skin, so they pose no danger when their source is outside the human body. Beta particles are essentially electrons emitted from the nucleus of a radioactive atom.
Gamma rays are energy that has no mass or charge. They have tremendous penetration power and require several inches of dense material (like lead) to shield them. Hence statement 2 is correct.