Physics Course/Radiation/Radioactive Decay Radiation

Radioactivities

Radioactivity is the conversion of one nuclear state to another only happen with elements that has unstable Nuclei . It involves Decay of Radioactive Element accompany by an emission of streams of Charged Particles namely Alpha, Beta , Gamma called Electromagnetic radiation in the form of Invisible Light and a release of enormous Heat Energy into the surrounding calculated by Einstien's Formula

E = M C²

Where

$M=(m_{1}-m_{2})$ correspond to difference in mass during the radioactivity .

Radioactive Decay

Most sources of natural, predictable radiation come from the decay of atomic nuclei, resulting in either alpha - $\alpha$ or beta - $\beta$ particles. In general, $\alpha$ decay is more common among the heavier elements, as it reduces the proton:neutron ratio, while $\beta$ decay is much more prominent among lighter elements, as it converts a neutron into a proton.

Alpha Decay

$U^{238}\longrightarrow Th^{234}+He^{4}(\alpha )$

This is the first decay in the famous Uranium decay. U-238 is essentially non-radioactive (especially compared to hyper-active U-235), and has a half-life of over four billion years.

Beta Decay

$C^{14}\longrightarrow N^{14}+e(\beta )$

This is the decay that allows for carbon dating, and has a half-life of over 5000 years.

Gamma Decay

Gamma radiation is much more difficult to come by, as emitting a gamma ray does not allow an atomic nuclei to decay. The most famous source of high-energy gamma rays is what happens when an electron and a positron annihilate:

$e^{+}+e^{-}\longrightarrow \gamma +\gamma$

Reference

1. Radioactivity