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Radioactive decay (also known as nuclear decay, radioactivity, radioactive disintegration, or nuclear disintegration) is the process by which an unstable atomic nucleus loses energy by radiation. A material containing unstable nuclei is considered radioactive. Three of the most common types of decay are alpha, beta, and gamma decay.
3 de may. de 2024 · Radioactive decay is a fundamental process in nuclear physics in which unstable atomic nuclei spontaneously transform into more stable ones by emitting radiation as particles or energy. The laws of quantum mechanics govern this natural phenomenon, which plays a crucial role in various fields, from nuclear medicine to geological dating.
22 de abr. de 2024 · Last updated on April 22, 2024. Radioactive decay is the emission of energy in the form of ionizing radiation. Example decay chains illustrate how radioactive atoms can go through many transformations as they become stable and no longer radioactive.
Radioactive Decay Law. When an individual nucleus transforms into another with the emission of radiation, the nucleus is said to decay. Radioactive decay occurs for all nuclei with \(Z > 82\), and also for some unstable isotopes with \(Z < 83\). The decay rate is proportional to the number of original (undecayed) nuclei N in a substance.
- The Discovery of Radioactivity
- Types of Radioactive Decay
- What Causes Radioactive Decay?
- Is Radioactive Decay Predictable?
- Is Radioactive Decay A Chemical Process?
- Additional Resources
In the late 1800s scientists discovered X-rays, a high-energy form of radiation, and were wondering if other kinds of "rays" were bouncing around. Simultaneously, scientists were just beginning to explore the nature of phosphorescence, the ability of some materials to glow after being exposed to X-rays. French scientist Henri Becquerel was experime...
The Curies and other scientists found that radioactive elements emitted three kinds of radiation as they underwent this transmutation process. Alpha radiation, can be blocked easily with nothing more than a sheet of paper. Beta radiation, requires something heftier, like a metal sheet. Gamma-rays, require an entire block of lead to be stopped, acco...
It wasn't until physicists had a quantum model of the atomthat they were able to understand what was going on with radioactive decay. They found that the atomic nucleus was really a loose, gooey bag of protons and neutrons all sloshing around against each other. That gooey bag had a lot of complicated physics going on inside it. For one, there's th...
Radioactive decay is totally random. If you were to take a single atom, you would never be able to predict exactly when that atom will decay. This is because even highly unstable nuclei are bound together. There's still a strong force "bag" holding all the sloshing protons and neutrons inside it. The atom might prefer to have a different combinatio...
In classical physics, radioactive decay could never happen, because it is not possible spend energy that does not exist. Quantum mechanics allows for this to happen, but it does so randomly. Every once in a while, a slightly unstable atomic nucleus will spontaneously decay into something else. Even though we can never know when a single atom will d...
The book “Marie Curie and Radioactivity”is a great illustrated resource for younger readers to introduce them to the concept of radioactivity and the pioneering work of Marie Curie. For older readers, try out "Radioactivity: A History of a Mysterious Science"by Marjorie C. Malley. Steve Weatherall gives a great Ted-ED presentation about radioactivi...
9 de may. de 2024 · Radioactivity, property exhibited by certain types of matter of emitting energy and subatomic particles spontaneously. It is, in essence, an attribute of individual atomic nuclei. Radioactive decay is a property of several naturally occurring elements as well as of artificially produced isotopes of the elements.
30 de may. de 2021 · Radioactivity is the emission of ionizing radiation from nuclear decay. The three main types of radioactive decay are alpha, beta, and gamma decay. Radioactivity is the spontaneous emission of ionizing radiation from nuclear decay and reactions.
