Answer: The household item which uses radiation in a beneficial way is the SMOKE DETECTORS
Step-by-step explanation:
Radiation is a type of energy that has the ability to travel through space and penetrate materials. There are various types of radiation which include alpha, beta and gamma rays. Many uses of radiation help to ensure high quality and safety of our daily lives. A typical example is seen in smoke detectors.
Smoke detectors are devices installed in a building which serves the purpose of detecting smoke which usually is associated with fire and sounding off an alarm. The types of smoke detectors available depends on their mode of action and these include:
--> Ionization smoke detectors: These type of detector are generally more sensitive to flamming fires. They have an in built small amount of RADIOACTIVE material between two electrically charged plates, which ionizes the air and causes current to flow between the plates. When smoke enters the chamber, it disrupts the flow of ions, thus reducing the flow of current and activating the alarm. An isotope of americium which emits alpha particles is used in this type of smoke detectors and it's an example of an alpha radiation.
Therefore, the household item which uses radiation in a beneficial way is the SMOKE DETECTORS.