All Flashcards
What is the difference between beta-minus and beta-plus decay?
Beta-minus: Neutron transforms into a proton, emitting an electron and antineutrino. | Beta-plus: Proton transforms into a neutron, emitting a positron and neutrino.
Compare alpha and gamma decay.
Alpha Decay: Ejects a helium nucleus, changes element. | Gamma Decay: Ejects a high energy photon, element remains the same.
How do neutrinos and antineutrinos differ?
Neutrino: Emitted in beta-plus decay. | Antineutrino: Emitted in beta-minus decay.
Compare electrons and positrons.
Electron: Negatively charged. | Positron: Positively charged (anti-electron).
Differentiate between alpha particles and beta particles.
Alpha Particle: Consists of 2 protons and 2 neutrons, +2 charge, relatively massive. | Beta Particle: Electron or positron, -1 or +1 charge, much less massive.
What is radioactive decay?
The process where unstable atomic nuclei release energy and particles to become more stable.
What is an alpha particle?
A particle consisting of two protons and two neutrons, equivalent to a helium nucleus ().
What is a neutrino?
An electrically neutral particle with nearly zero mass, emitted in beta-plus decay.
What is a positron?
A particle with the same mass as an electron but with a positive charge, also known as an antielectron ( or ).
What is an antineutrino?
An electrically neutral particle with nearly zero mass, emitted in beta-minus decay.
What is a gamma ray?
A high-energy photon emitted by an excited nucleus during gamma decay ().
What is alpha decay?
A nucleus emits an alpha particle (), decreasing the atomic number by 2 and the mass number by 4.
What is beta-minus decay?
A neutron transforms into a proton, emitting an electron () and an antineutrino (), increasing the atomic number by 1, while the mass number remains the same.
What is beta-plus decay?
A proton transforms into a neutron, emitting a positron () and a neutrino (), decreasing the atomic number by 1, while the mass number remains the same.
What is gamma decay?
An excited nucleus releases energy by emitting a gamma ray photon (). The atomic number and mass number remain unchanged.
Define alpha particle.
A particle consisting of two protons and two neutrons, equivalent to a helium nucleus ().
Define neutrino.
An electrically neutral particle with nearly zero mass, emitted in beta-plus decay.