Ionizing Radiation
Ionizing Radiation is energy strong enough to knock tiny parts out of atoms it hits.
Think of it this way
When a fast-moving ball hits a stack of cups, it can knock a cup out of the stack. The other cups stay, but one is now missing. Ionizing radiation works the same way. It moves fast enough to knock tiny parts out of atoms, leaving each atom changed.
Explaining ionizing radiation by grade level
Some energy is so strong it can change things deep inside. When beans get hit by it, they have trouble growing. The energy is too small to see. Scientists study how to help plants heal after it happens.