Radioactivity

Front

What is alpha radiation?

Back

Alpha radiation is a type of radioactive decay in which an unstable nucleus releases an alpha particle, consisting of 2 protons and 2 neutrons, which is equivalent to a helium nucleus.

Front

What is beta radiation?

Back

Beta radiation is a type of radioactive decay in which an unstable nucleus releases a beta particle, which is an electron or positron, resulting from the transformation of a neutron into a proton or vice versa.

Front

What is gamma radiation?

Back

Gamma radiation is a form of electromagnetic radiation emitted from the nucleus of an atom during radioactive decay, characterized by high energy and no mass.

Front

What is a neutron?

Back

A neutron is a subatomic particle found in the nucleus of an atom, with no electric charge and a mass slightly greater than that of a proton.

Front

What is an isotope?

Back

An isotope is a variant of a chemical element that has the same number of protons but a different number of neutrons, resulting in a different mass number.

Front

How do you calculate the number of neutrons in an atom?

Back

To find the number of neutrons, subtract the atomic number (number of protons) from the mass number (total number of protons and neutrons).

Front

What is the atomic number?

Back

The atomic number is the number of protons in the nucleus of an atom, which determines the element's identity and its position in the periodic table.

Front

What is the mass number?

Back

The mass number is the total number of protons and neutrons in the nucleus of an atom.

Front

What is the size of an atomic nucleus compared to the whole atom?

Back

The nucleus of an atom is about 1/100,000th the size of the whole atom.

Front

What is a helium nucleus?

Back

A helium nucleus, also known as an alpha particle, consists of 2 protons and 2 neutrons.