Nuclear decay Flashcards
How many joules is one electron volt?
It is 1.6x10^-19 joules.
What is the proton number (aka atomic number)?
It is the number of protons in an elements atom.
What is emitted during Alpha decay?
Alpha decay emits 2 protons and 2 neutrons
very ionising
What can an Alpha particle be stopped/blocked by?
An Alpha particle can be stopped by a tissue paper.
What is emitted during Beta decay?
Beta decay emits an electron.
What can a Beta particle be stopped by?
A Beta particle can be stopped by a thin sheet of aluminium.
What is emitted during Gamma decay?
Gamma decay releases photons/ radioactive rays.
What can Gamma be stopped by?
Gamma can be stopped by a thick layer of lead.
What equation can be used to work out the energy of a wave (of e.g. a photon)?
E=hf ( energy = Plancks constant x frequency)
What is Plancks constant (h)?
h = 6.63x10^-34
What equation can be used to figure out a waves wavelength or its frequency?
c=&f (speed of light = lambda x frequency)
-lambda means wavelength and is represented as ‘&’ in this case.
What is the speed of light?
300,000,000 m/s
=3x10^8 m/s
What is the nucleon number (aka atomic mass number)?
The number of protons plus neutrons in an element (number of nucleons in an atom).
Why can Gamma radiation be stopped by what it can be stopped by?
Gamma can be stopped by thick layer of lead, this is because lead is so dense, the higher the density, the less space between the atoms within the material for particles to pass through, in this case so dense it doesn’t let photons through.
Why can Beta particles be stopped by what it can be stopped by?
Beta particles can be stopped by a thin layer of aluminium , the electron in a Beta particle is too large to fit through the gaps between the atoms in aluminium, therefore stopping.
