The Random Nature of Nuclear Decay Radioactive decay is defined as: The spontaneous disintegration of a nucleus to form a more stable nucleus, resulting in the emission of an alpha, beta or gamma p...
Core Practical 15: Investigating Gamma Radiation Absorption Aim of the Experiment To investigate the absorption of gamma rays by different thicknesses of lead Variables: Independent variable = Thic...
Nuclear Decay Equations Alpha Decay An alpha particle consists of 2 protons and 2 neutrons (It is emitted from large unstable nuclei) When an alpha particle is emitted from a nucleus: The nuc...
Alpha, Beta & Gamma Particles Some elements have nuclei that are unstable This tends to be when the number of nucleons does not balance In order to become more stable, they emit particle...
Background Radiation Radiation is a natural phenomenon, with radioactive elements having always existed on Earth and in outer space However, human activity has added to the amount of radiation that...
Nuclear Fusion Fusion is defined as: Small nuclides that combine together to make larger nuclei, releasing energy Low mass nuclei (such as hydrogen and helium) can undergo fusion and release energy...
Binding Energy per Nucleon Graph When comparing the stability of different nuclei, it is useful to look at the binding energy per nucleon The binding energy per nucleon is defined as: The binding e...
Atomic Mass Unit The unified atomic mass unit (u or sometimes a.m.u) is roughly equal to the mass of one proton or neutron: 1 u = 1.66 × 10−27 kg This value is provided on the exam data sheet The a...
Nuclear Binding Energy Experiments into nuclear structure have found that the total mass of a nucleus is less than the sum of the masses of its constituent nucleons This difference in mass is known...
