nuclear equations Flashcards
what are nuclear equations used for
to represent radioactive decay
what do the emissions of gamma rays do to the nucleus
nothing. the mass or charge of the nucleus does not change
what might the emission of different types of nuclear radiation do?
cause a change in mass and/or charge of the nucleus
what is lost during alpha decay
2 neutrons and 2 protons - mass and charge of nucleus decreases
what is lost during beta decay
1 electron - charge of nucleus increases
neutron is turned into proton, so a proton is gained
what is lost during gamma decay
nothing. mass and charge does not change
what is an isotope
atoms of the same element with the same number of protons but different number of neutrons
what is meant by the random nature of radioactive decay?
when you can’t predict when the nucleus will decay
give 2 examples of nuclear fuels
uranium, plutonium
what is the half life of a radioactive isotope
time it takes for half of the unstable nuclei in a sample to decay or for the activity of the sample to halve or for the count rate (activity) to halve
what do atomic nuclei do when unstable and whats it called
gives out radiation as it changes to become more stable
it’s called radioactive decay
whats activity
the rate at which a source of unstable nuclei decays
what is activity measured in
Bequerels
whats the count rate
number of decays recorded each second by a detector
what devices can be used to detect radioactivity
geiger muller tube
