Isotopes, Radioactive Decay, & Half-Life

Front

What is an isotope?

Back

Isotopes are variants of a particular chemical element that have the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons, resulting in different mass numbers.

Front

What is radioactive decay?

Back

Radioactive decay is the process by which an unstable atomic nucleus loses energy by emitting radiation, leading to the transformation of the element into a different element or isotope.

Front

What is half-life?

Back

Half-life is the time required for half of the radioactive atoms in a sample to decay into a more stable form.

Front

What happens to the atomic number during alpha decay?

Back

During alpha decay, the atomic number decreases by 2.

Front

What happens to the mass number during beta decay?

Back

During beta decay, the mass number remains the same, but the atomic number increases by 1.

Front

What type of radiation has no mass?

Back

Gamma radiation has no mass.

Front

How do isotopes of the same element differ?

Back

Isotopes of the same element differ in their mass numbers due to the different number of neutrons.

Front

What is the effect of gamma radiation on an atom?

Back

Gamma radiation does not change the atomic number or mass number of an atom.

Front

What is the main characteristic of beta particles?

Back

Beta particles are high-energy, high-speed electrons or positrons emitted during beta decay.

Front

What is the difference between alpha, beta, and gamma radiation?

Back

Alpha radiation consists of helium nuclei, beta radiation consists of electrons or positrons, and gamma radiation consists of high-energy photons.