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What unit is used to measure the basic exposure to radiation?
Rad
Rem
Gy
R
The correct answer is: R
The correct unit to measure basic exposure to radiation is the roentgen (R). This unit specifically quantifies the amount of ionization produced in air by X-rays or gamma rays and is essential in assessing the radiation exposure levels that can affect human health. The roentgen is defined in terms of the charge produced by radiation in a specific amount of air, which helps in evaluating how much radiation a person might be exposed to in a given environment. While other terms, such as rad, rem, and gy, are related to the measurement of radiation, they apply to different contexts. The rad measures the absorbed dose of radiation in materials, rem accounts for the biological effect of that deposited dose in terms of risk to human health, and gy (gray) is a modern unit of absorbed dose in the International System of Units (SI). Thus, while all these units are important in understanding and measuring radiation, the roentgen remains the standard unit for measuring exposure specifically.