Physics II Exam 3 Vocabulary

What is a photon?

smallest possible excitation of the electromagnetic field at a given frequency

What is an electron?

negatively charged, subatomic particle and a fundamental component of all atoms

What is a neutron?

subatomic particle that has no electric charge, slightly greater mass than a proton

What is a proton?

subatomic particle with a positive electric charge

What is the function of a photon?

changes energy state (excitation) of atom

What is the function of an electron?

changes the charge of an atom to produce an ion

What is the function of a neutron?

changes the mass of an atom to make a different isotope

What is the function of a proton?

change of atomic species, transmutation

What is the product of alpha decay?

helium nucleus

What is the product of beta decay?

electron

What is the product of gamma decay?

photon

What does this notation represent?

alpha decay

What does this notation represent?

beta decay

What does this notation represent?

gamma decay

What is the unit used to measure the activity of radioactivity?

curie Ci

What does a curie (Ci) represent?

fixed number of decays per second

What is the definition of half-life?

the time needed for half of the active nuclei in a sample to decay

What does Z represent?

atomic number which is the number of protons which gives the species of the atom

What does A represent?

mass number which is the sum of the protons and neutrons together that determines the isotope of the atom

What does C represent?

charge number which gives the charge (ion) status of the atom