What is the difference between ionizing and non ionizing radiation?

that and what types of electromagnetic radiation are ionizing?What is the difference between ionizing and non ionizing radiation?
Ionizing radiation will pop electrons out of atoms, which can be bad. It's a question of energy and charge. Neutrons, for example, don't ionize much. Alphas (He2+ nuclei), betas (electrons), and gammas (high-energy photons) can all be ionizing.What is the difference between ionizing and non ionizing radiation?
ionizing radiation does exactly that it ionizes things e.g. alpha radiation is two protons so it if it is absorbed by something or more likely will knock an electron from its orbit around an atom it will make it charged. Non ionizing radiation will not ionize things as it hits or goes past them.



Ionizing radiation nearly always consists of a particle e.g. alpha or beta radiation as these are more likely to collide with a particle knocking an electron out of orbit or being absorbed by an atom.



Alpha radiation is more likely to ionize as it is heavier and slower than an electromagnetic wave or an electron (beta) this makes it more likely to collide with an atom. However beta radiation can also ionize things as well as having a greater penetrating power.



In general most types of electromagnetic radiation don't really ionize but they all have the ability to its just very unlikely thats why x rays aren't very dangerous but there is still a limit on how much exposure someone should have.