Types of Decay
Next Lesson
Physics 2
Summary
The content provides an in-depth exploration of various nuclear decay modes, including alpha decay, beta decay, positron decay, electron capture, and gamma decay, highlighting the conservation of nucleons and the transformation of elements.
- Alpha decay involves a nucleus splitting into a smaller nucleus and an alpha particle, conserving the total number of nucleons.
- Beta decay results from a neutron converting into a proton, ejecting a beta particle, and increasing the atomic number by one.
- Positron decay and electron capture both result in a proton transforming into a neutron, decreasing the atomic number by one, but through different processes.
- Gamma decay involves the rearrangement of nucleons within the nucleus, releasing energy as gamma rays without altering the atomic number or mass number.
- The conservation of nucleons is a key principle across all decay modes, with specific changes to atomic and mass numbers depending on the decay process.
Chapters
00:00
Alpha Decay
01:08
Beta Decay
02:12
Positron Decay and Electron Capture
03:51
Gamma Decay