radioactive decay Flashcards
What happens to nuclei with too many, or too few, neutrons
they will decay by emitting radiation
Alpha decay causes
the mass number of the nucleus to decrease by four and the atomic number of the nucleus to decrease by two
A hot gas cools by
emitting infrared radiation which is an electromagnetic wave.
Charge on an alpha particle
+2
Why do nuclei decay by emitting nuclear radiation
because they have too much energy
They get rid of some energy by emitting nuclear radiation
what is an alpha particle
An alpha particle is the same as a nucleus of helium 4
they contain two protons and two neutrons
They can be written as
4He or 4a
2 2
what is a beta particle
A fast electron emitted from a radioactive nucleus
how is a beta particle written
0 B or 0 e
-1 -1
What is the charge on a beta particle
-1
During beta decay, a neutron inside the nucleus changes into
a proton plus and electron
What happens during beta decay
the proton number increases by 1
What is a gamma ray
a high frequency electromagnetic radiation. It travels at the speed of light
The charge on a gamma ray is ZERO. The mass of a gamma ray is ZERO
gamma can be written as
0Y
0
What form of radiation is emitted by nuclei with too many neutrons?
Beta
Which form of radiation has the highest ionising power?
Alpha
What is the activity of a source that emits 1,200 particles per minute?
20bq
