Compare the Difference Between Similar Terms

Difference Between

Home / Science & Nature / Science / Chemistry / Physical Chemistry / Difference Between Becquerel and Sievert

Difference Between Becquerel and Sievert

February 12, 2020 Posted by Madhu

The key difference between becquerel and sievert is that becquerel is a unit used to measure the activity of a quantity of radioactive material whereas sievert is a unit used to measure the health effects of ionizing radiation.

Becquerel and sievert are units of measurement. Both these are SI derived units. SI derived units are units of measurement that are derived from the seven base units specified by the International System of Units (SI units). These seven base units are kilogram, seconds, kelvin, ampere, mole, candela and meter.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Becquerel 
3. What is Sievert
4. Side by Side Comparison – Becquerel vs Sievert in Tabular Form
5. Summary

What is Becquerel

Becquerel is an SI derived unit we can use to measure the activity of a quantity of radioactive material. Therefore, it is the unit of specific activity. The symbol for becquerel is Bq. This unit was named after the scientist Henri Becquerel who introduced the unit. The SI base unit that is used for derivation of becquerel is seconds (s). One becquerel is equal to s-1 (per second). This means one becquerel is equal to the activity of a quantity of radioactive material in which one nucleus decays per second. The relationship is as follows:

1 Bq = 1 s-1

Difference Between Becquerel and Sievert

Figure 01: Measurement of Radioactivity

When naming this SI derived unit, there are two common rules we have to keep in mind. The first rule is that, when giving the symbol of the unit, the letter “B” always has to be capital because this unit was named after a person whose name. The second rule is that when writing the name of this unit in English, we have to write the letter “b” in simple letters if it is not at the beginning of a sentence. Moreover, similar to any other SI unit, we can use prefixes with becquerel such as kilobecquerel (kBq), megabecquerel (MBq), etc.

What is Sievert?

Sievert is an SI derived unit we can use to measure the ionizing radiation dose. The symbol of this unit is Sv. It is a measure of the health effect of low levels of ionizing radiation on the human body. This unit is important in experiments regarding dosimetry and radiation protection. This unit was named after the scientist Rolf Maximilian Sievert. The SI base units that are used to derive the Sievert are meter and seconds. Here, one Sievert equals m2s-2.

1Sv = 1 m2s-2

When naming this SI derived unit, there are two common rules that we have to keep in mind. The first rule is that, when giving the symbol of the unit, the letter “S” has to be always capital because this unit was named after a person whose name is used to derive the symbol. The second rule is that, when writing the name of this unit in English, we have to write the letter “s” in simple letters if it is not at the beginning of a sentence.

What is the Difference Between Becquerel and Sievert?

Becquerel and Sievert are units of measurement. Both these are SI derived units. SI derived units are the units of measurement that are derived from the seven base units specified by the International System of Units (SI units). The key difference between Becquerel and Sievert is that Becquerel is a unit used to measure the activity of a quantity of radioactive material, whereas Sievert is a unit used to measure the health effects of ionizing radiation.

Below infographic summarizes the difference between Becquerel and Sievert.

Difference Between Becquerel and Sievert in Tabular Form

Summary – Becquerel vs Sievert

Becquerel and Sievert are units of measurement. Both these are SI derived units. SI derived units are the units of measurement that are derived from the seven base units specified by the International System of Units (SI units). The key difference between Becquerel and Sievert is that Becquerel is a unit that measures the activity of a quantity of radioactive material, whereas Sievert is a unit that measures the health effects of ionizing radiation.

Reference:

1. “Becquerel.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 27 Dec. 2019, Available here.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Radioactivity and radiation” By Doug Sim – Own work (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia

Related posts:

Difference Between Adhesion and CohesionDifference Between Adhesion and Cohesion Difference Between Kinetic and End Point ReactionDifference Between Kinetic and End Point Reaction Difference Between Bar and BargDifference Between Bar and Barg Difference Between Fermi Energy and Fermi LevelDifference Between Fermi Energy and Fermi Level Key Difference - Critical Angle vs Acceptance AngleDifference Between Critical Angle and Acceptance Angle

Filed Under: Physical Chemistry

About the Author: Madhu

Madhu is a graduate in Biological Sciences with BSc (Honours) Degree and currently persuing a Masters Degree in Industrial and Environmental Chemistry. With a mind rooted firmly to basic principals of chemistry and passion for ever evolving field of industrial chemistry, she is keenly interested to be a true companion for those who seek knowledge in the subject of chemistry.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Request Article

Featured Posts

Difference Between Coronavirus and Cold Symptoms

Difference Between Coronavirus and Cold Symptoms

Difference Between Coronavirus and SARS

Difference Between Coronavirus and SARS

Difference Between Coronavirus and Influenza

Difference Between Coronavirus and Influenza

Difference Between Coronavirus and Covid 19

Difference Between Coronavirus and Covid 19

You May Like

Difference Between Monodox and Vibramycin

Difference Between Monodox and Vibramycin

Difference Between Bacteria and Fungi

Difference Between Schottky Defect and Frenkel Defect

Difference Between Schottky Defect and Frenkel Defect

What is the Difference Between DNA Profiling and Genetic Screening

What is the Difference Between DNA Profiling and Genetic Screening

Difference Between Water Gas and Producer Gas

Difference Between Water Gas and Producer Gas

Latest Posts

  • What is the Difference Between Elementary and Complex Reaction
  • What is the Difference Between Ataxia and Apraxia
  • What is the Difference Between Chlorine Fluorine and Astatine
  • What is the Difference Between B Cell and T Cell Leukemia
  • What is the Difference Between Animal Pole and Vegetal Pole
  • What is the Difference Between Terminal and Bridging Carbonyls
  • Home
  • Vacancies
  • About
  • Request Article
  • Contact Us

Copyright © 2010-2018 Difference Between. All rights reserved. Terms of Use and Privacy Policy: Legal.