Answer to Question #94567 in Mechanics | Relativity for Kushal

Question

What is radioactivity? State its types.

Answer 1

Radioactivity is the spontaneous transformation of atoms of one element into atoms of other elements, accompanied by the emission of particles and hard electromagnetic radiation

Alpha decay is the emission by the nucleus of a radioactive isotope of alpha particles. Due to the loss of two protons and two neutrons with an alpha particle, the decaying nucleus turns into another nucleus, in which the number of protons (nuclear charge) decreases by 2, and the number of particles (mass number) by 4

Beta decay - spontaneous conversion of a neutron into a proton or proton into a neutron inside the nucleus, accompanied by the emission of electrons or positrons and antineutrinos or neutrinos.

Gamma rays are a flux of gamma rays, i.e. short-wave electromagnetic radiation emitted by excited atomic nuclei.

In the process of γ radiation, the nucleus spontaneously passes from an excited state to a less excited or ground state. In this case, the excess energy is released in the form of a quantum of short-wave electromagnetic radiation - the γ-quantum. γ-quanta are free of charge and therefore are not deflected by an electric or magnetic field. They spread rectilinearly and evenly in all directions from the source.