Nuclear Energy Vocabulary

Front

the disintegration of an unstable atomic nucleus into one or more different nuclides

Back

radioactive decay

Front

The particles that are released from the nucleus during radioactive decay

Back

nuclear radiation

Front

A positively charged particle that consists of two protons and two neutrons and that is emitted from a nucleus during radioactive decay.

Back

alpha particle

Front

An electron or positron that is emitted from a nucleus during radioactive decay.

Back

beta particle

Front

The high-energy photon emitted by a nucleus during fission and radioactive decay.

Back

gamma ray

Front

a particle with a +1e charge and a mass the same as an electron; also called the antiparticle of the electron

Back

positron

Front

a packet (quantum) of energy with no mass and no electrical charge, but it has momentum

Back

photon

Front

The time required for half of a sample of a radioactive isotope to break down by radioactive decay to form a daughter isotope.

Back

half-life

Front

the force that holds the nucleus together

Back

strong nuclear force

Front

the process by which a nucleus splits into two or more fragments and releases neutrons and energy

Back

fission