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- Radioactivity and nuclear physics
- Nuclear decay and conservation
Section summary
- When a parent nucleus decays, it produces a daughter nucleus following rules and conservation laws. There are three major types of nuclear decay, called alpha
beta
and gamma
. The
decay equation is
- Nuclear decay releases an amount of energy
related to the mass destroyed
by
- There are three forms of beta decay. The
decay equation is
- The
decay equation is
- The electron capture equation is
-
is an electron,
is an antielectron or positron,
represents an electron’s neutrino, and
is an electron’s antineutrino. In addition to all previously known conservation laws, two new ones arise— conservation of electron family number and conservation of the total number of nucleons. The
decay equation is
is a high-energy photon originating in a nucleus.
Conceptual questions
Star Trek fans have often heard the term “antimatter drive.” Describe how you could use a magnetic field to trap antimatter, such as produced by nuclear decay, and later combine it with matter to produce energy. Be specific about the type of antimatter, the need for vacuum storage, and the fraction of matter converted into energy.
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What conservation law requires an electron’s neutrino to be produced in electron capture? Note that the electron no longer exists after it is captured by the nucleus.
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Neutrinos are experimentally determined to have an extremely small mass. Huge numbers of neutrinos are created in a supernova at the same time as massive amounts of light are first produced. When the 1987A supernova occurred in the Large Magellanic Cloud, visible primarily in the Southern Hemisphere and some 100,000 light-years away from Earth, neutrinos from the explosion were observed at about the same time as the light from the blast. How could the relative arrival times of neutrinos and light be used to place limits on the mass of neutrinos?
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Problems&Exercises
In the following eight problems, write the complete decay equation for the given nuclide in the complete
notation. Refer to the periodic table for values of
.
decay of
(tritium), a manufactured isotope of hydrogen used in some digital watch displays, and manufactured primarily for use in hydrogen bombs.
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decay of
, a naturally occurring rare isotope of potassium responsible for some of our exposure to background radiation.
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decay of
.
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Electron capture by
.
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decay of
, the isotope of polonium in the decay series of
that was discovered by the Curies. A favorite isotope in physics labs, since it has a short half-life and decays to a stable nuclide.
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decay of
, another isotope in the decay series of
, first recognized as a new element by the Curies. Poses special problems because its daughter is a radioactive noble gas.
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Questions & Answers
how does the planets on our solar system orbit
how many Messier objects are there in space
Astronomy (from Ancient Greek ἀστρονομία (astronomía) 'science that studies the laws of the stars') is a natural science that studies celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and evolution.
Rafael
what is big bang theory?
Rosemary
what type of activity astronomer do?
Rosemary
the big bang theory is a theory which states that all matter was compressed together in one place the matter got so unstable it exploded releasing All its contents in the form of hydrogen
Roaul
I want to be an astronomer. That's my dream
Astrit
Who named the the whole galaxy?
what is the dark matter
Richard
what are the factors upon which the atmosphere is stratified
bigbang is the beginning of the universe
Sokak
but thats just a theory
Sokak
nothing will happen, don't worry brother.
Vansh
these are Rocky substances between mars and jupiter
GANGAIN
Comets are cosmic snowballs of frozen gases , rock and dust that orbit the sun. They are mostly found between the orbits of Venus and Mercury.
Aarya
hey can anyone guide me abt international astronomy olympiad
sahil
how can we learn right and true ?
why the moon is always appear in an elliptical shape
Because when astroid hit the Earth then a piece of elliptical shape of the earth was separated which is now called moon.
Hemen
Did you mean eye sight or sea level
Minal
oh sorry it's sea level
lidiya
according to the theory of astronomers why the moon is always appear in an elliptical orbit?
Gatjuol
hi !!! I am new in astronomy....
I have so many questions in mind ....
all of scientists of the word they just give opinion only.
but they never think true or false ...
i respect all of them...
I believes whole universe depending
on true ...থিউরি
Govinda
we're all stars and galaxies a part of sun. how can science prove thx with respect old ancient times picture or books..or anything with respect to present time .but we r a part of that universe
w astronomy and cosmology!
Michele
another theory of universe except big ban
there many theory to born universe but what is the reality of big bang theory to born universe
Asmit
what is the exact value of π?
Nagalakshmi
there are many theories regarding this it's on you believe any theory that you think is true ex. eternal inflation theory, oscillation model theory, multiple universe theory the big bang theory etc.
Aarya
I think after Big Bang!
Michele
from where on earth could u observe all the stars during the during the course of an year
I think it couldn't possible on earth
Nagalakshmi
in this time i don't Know
Michele
is that so. the question was in the end of this chapter
Karuna
in theory, you could see them all from the equator (though over the course of a year, not at pne time). stars are measured in "declination", which is how far N or S of the equator (90* to -90*). Polaris is the North star, and is ALMOST 90* (+89*).
So it would just barely creep over the horizon.
Christopher
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Source:
OpenStax, College physics for ap® courses. OpenStax CNX. Nov 04, 2016 Download for free at https://legacy.cnx.org/content/col11844/1.14
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