Radioactive Decay Flashcards
What happens during Beta Minus Decay?
A neutron turns into a proton and an electron. The electron is expelled from the atom.
What happens during Beta Plus Decay?
A proton turns into a neutron and a positron. The positron is expelled from the atom.
What happens during Electron Capture?
A proton merges with an orbital electron to become a neutron. The neutron remains in the nucleus.
What happens during Gamma Decay?
An excited state drops to a lower energy state and emits gamma rays.
What happens during Alpha Decay?
A nucleus emits an alpha particle (Helium nucleus) consisting of two protons and two neutrons.
What is an alpha particle?
Two protons and two neutrons (Helium nucleus).
What is emitted in beta minus decay?
An electron.
What is emitted in beta plus decay?
A positron (electron anti-particle).
What is emitted in Gamma Decay?
A gamma ray (light, light particle called a photon).
What is emitted during Alpha Decay?
An alpha particle.
An atom undergoes Alpha Decay. What happens to the number of protons in the nucleus of the atom as a result?
The number of protons goes down by two. The type of element changes.
An atom undergoes Alpha Decay. What happens to the number of neutrons in the nucleus as a result?
The number of neutrons goes down by two. The type of element does not change.
An atom undergoes Beta Minus Decay. What happens to the number of protons in the nucleus as a result? What about the neutrons?
A neutron turns into a proton and electron in Beta Minus Decay, so the number of neutrons goes down and the number of protons goes up. The type of element changes, but the total of protons and neutrons (Z) remains constant.
An atom undergoes Beta Plus Decay. What happens to the total number of protons in the nucleus as a result? What about the number of protons?
In Beta Plus Decay, a proton turns into a neutron and a position. The number of protons goes down by one, the number of neutrons goes up by one. The type of element goes down, but the total number of neutrons and protons (Z) remains constant.
Which type of decay does NOT change the type of element you have?
Gamma Decay only.
