Compare and contrast beta-minus and beta-plus decay.

Beta-minus: Neutron transforms into a proton, emits electron and antineutrino. | Beta-plus: Proton transforms into a neutron, emits positron and neutrino.

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Compare and contrast beta-minus and beta-plus decay.

Beta-minus: Neutron transforms into a proton, emits electron and antineutrino. | Beta-plus: Proton transforms into a neutron, emits positron and neutrino.

What are the key differences between alpha and beta decay?

Alpha: Emission of a helium nucleus, changes mass and atomic number significantly. | Beta: Emission of an electron or positron, changes only atomic number.

Compare neutrinos and antineutrinos.

Neutrinos: Emitted in beta-plus decay. | Antineutrinos: Emitted in beta-minus decay. Both are electrically neutral and have nearly zero mass.

Compare alpha particle and gamma ray.

Alpha particle: Consists of 2 protons and 2 neutrons, has mass and charge. | Gamma ray: Is a high-energy photon, massless and chargeless.

Compare electron and positron.

Electron: negatively charged particle emitted in beta-minus decay. | Positron: positively charged particle emitted in beta-plus decay.

Describe the process of alpha decay.

An unstable nucleus emits an alpha particle (24He^4_2He). The atomic number decreases by 2, and the mass number decreases by 4.

Describe the process of beta-minus decay.

A neutron in the nucleus transforms into a proton, emitting an electron (ee^-) and an antineutrino (vˉ\bar{v}). The atomic number increases by 1, while the mass number remains the same.

Describe the process of beta-plus decay.

A proton in the nucleus transforms into a neutron, emitting a positron (e+e^+) and a neutrino (vv). The atomic number decreases by 1, while the mass number remains the same.

Describe the process of gamma decay.

An excited nucleus releases energy by emitting a gamma ray photon (γ\gamma). The atomic number and mass number remain unchanged.

What happens to a neutron during beta-minus decay?

The neutron transforms into a proton, emitting an electron and an antineutrino.

What happens to a proton during beta-plus decay?

The proton transforms into a neutron, emitting a positron and a neutrino.

What is alpha decay?

A nucleus emits an alpha particle (24He^4_2He), 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 (ee^-) and an antineutrino (vˉ\bar{v}), 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 (e+e^+) and a neutrino (vv), 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 (γ\gamma). 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 (He2+He^{2+}).

Define neutrino.

An electrically neutral particle with nearly zero mass, emitted in beta-plus decay.