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Question 590
Biophysics → General
Classification
Question
SSBAQuestion Header
Radiation transfers energy to an outer electron, moving it to a higher-energy orbit without allowing it to escape from the atom. Which process has occurred?
Question Stem
Select the single best answer.
Options
A
Ionisation
B
Radioactive decay
C
Gamma emission
D
Bremsstrahlung
E
Excitation
Explanation
Excitation occurs when transferred energy moves an outer electron to a higher-energy orbit but is insufficient to remove it from the atom. Ionisation differs because the electron escapes from its orbit, producing charged ions.
Option Validity
A) Ionisation requires removal of an electron from its orbit.
B) Radioactive decay does not describe this electron-energy transition.
C) Gamma emission originates from the nucleus.
D) Bremsstrahlung describes X-radiation generated by electron deceleration.
Further Reading
Saxena R. Textbook for MRCOG-1. Chapter 9: Biophysics, pp.278–279.