Associate Safety Professional Practice Exam

What is most correct concerning a Curie?

1. A curie is a unit of energy

2. One curie measures the radioactivity of one gram of radium

3. A curie is a measure of radiation exposure

4. One curie is equivalent to one milligram of uranium

The correct answer is: One curie measures the radioactivity of one gram of radium

A curie is indeed a unit of radioactivity that quantifies the amount of radiation emitted by a substance. The correct association with the definition of a curie is that it is defined as the amount of radioactivity in a material that produces 3.7 x 10^10 disintegrations per second, which is approximately the rate of disintegration for one gram of radium-226. This measurement captures the radioactive decay occurring within that mass, making it a direct indicator of radioactivity. Understanding this context is essential when distinguishing between units of measurement in radiation concepts. Other options confuse types of measurements: energy, exposure, or comparisons with other materials like uranium, which are not accurate representations of what a curie physically measures.