2. Alpha, Beta, & Gamma Decay

SO WHERE DO ALPHA, BETA, AND GAMMA
RAY COME FROM?

The alpha, beta, and gamma ray came
from the result of emission of
radioactive decay.

Who initiated the study of the rays emitted in radioactivity around 1898?

Rutherford and others began studying the nature of the rays emitted in radioactivity around 1898.

How did Rutherford and others classify the rays emitted in radioactivity?

Rutherford and others classified the rays emitted in radioactivity into three distinct types based on their penetrating power.

What was the penetrating power of one type of radiation?

One type of radiation could barely penetrate a piece of paper.

How much aluminum could the second type of radiation pass through?

The second type of radiation could pass through as much as 3 mm of aluminum.

Describe the penetrating power of the third type of radiation.

The third type of radiation was extremely penetrating, capable of passing through several centimeters of lead and still being detected on the other side.

They named these three
types of radiation _______________ respectively,
after the first three letters of
the Greek alphabet.

alpha, beta
and gamma

Alpha and beta rays are _______________ by a magnetic field, whereas
gamma rays are ________.

bent in opposite
directions; not bent at all

Positively charged particles
made up of two protons and two neutrons,
identical to the nucleus of a helium atom.

Alpha particles:

High-speed electrons (beta
minus) or positrons (beta plus), both with very
little mass.

Beta particles:

High-energy photons, similar to
light but with much shorter wavelengths and
higher energy. Gamma rays are very high
energy photons whose energy is even higher
than X-rays.

Gamma rays:

An unstable nucleus releases
an alpha particle, reducing its atomic
number by 2 and mass number by 4.

Alpha decay:

An unstable nucleus undergoes
a change in the number of neutrons and
protons, either releasing a beta minus
particle (electron) and an antineutrino (beta
minus decay) or a positron and a neutrino
(beta plus decay). The atomic number
changes by +/- 1, while the mass number
remains the same.

Beta decay:

An excited nucleus (often
after alpha or beta decay) releases a gamma
ray, shedding excess energy but not
changing its atomic number or mass
number.

Gamma decay:

Difference between gamma rays and X-rays:

*Both are forms of electromagnetic radiation (photons).
*Gamma rays typically have higher energy than X-rays,
but their energy ranges overlap.

Differences between x-rays and gamma rays.

*X-rays are produced by interactions between electrons and
atoms.
*Gamma rays are produced in nuclear processes.