Analyzing nuclear reaction

Positron Emission Tomography (PET)​

Before medical images are taken, radioisotopes are often injected into a vein in a patient's arm, or the patient drinks a solution containing the radioisotopes

The Element Plutonium​ - Release Energy​

has an orange glow due to the enormous amount of energy it releases in the form of heat and light ​

The Element Plutonium​ - Used as spacecraft fuel​

Unlike other fuels that “burn up” quickly, plutonium releases its energy over a long period of time. This makes it an ideal fuel source for applications such as spacecraft used for interplanetary exploration because they cannot stop to refuel

The Element Plutonium​ - Unstable Nucleus​

The atomic number of plutonium is 94. All elements with an atomic number greater than that of lead, 82, have nuclei that are unstable and emit radiation in the form of either particles or high- energy electromagnetic waves. As they do so, they produce other nuclei that are more stable

Electrostatic Force​

is the force of attraction or repulsion between charged particles In the nucleus

Proton-Proton Repulsion

Since protons are positively charged, they repel each other due to the electrostatic force

Neutron-Proton Interaction

Neutrons do not carry a charge, but they help mitigate the repulsive force between protons

Factors affecting ​

Electrostatic Force​

The strength of the electrostatic force between two charges depends upon both the magnitude of the charges and ​

the distance between them

Nuclear Forces: The Glue of the Nucleus​

the force which is opposite to the electrostatic force and sufficiently strong enough to counteract it

This force acted between all particles in the nucleus ​

Nucleon​

Either protons and neutrons, found in the nucleus.​

Nuclide​

Nucleus with a specific number of protons and neutrons ​

Nuclear Stability

Scientists found that when the number of neutrons (N) in a nuclide is plotted against the number of protons (Z), stable nuclides cluster in a limited area, This area is referred to as the band of stability

nuclear binding energy

Mass defect corresponds to the amount of energy released when nucleons come together