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Mass Defect
The difference between the mass of an isotope and its mass number.
Binding Energy
The amount of energy required to separate a particle from a system of particles.
How to Calculate Binding Energy
BE = MD (3.00×10^8) where MD is mass defect.
Binding Energy Per Nucleon
The minimum energy required to disassemble the nucleus into its constituent neutrons and protons.
How to calculate Binding Energy per Nucleon
(MD(3.00×10^8)²) / the mass of the nucleus.
Band of Stability
The neutron to proton ratios of stable nuclei.
Magic Numbers
Specific nucleon counts that represent completed energy levels in the nucleus (2, 8, 20, 28, 50, 82, 126).
Transmutation
The change from one element to another.
Alpha Particles
A helium nucleus, heavier and slower, emitted from heavy elements.
Beta Particles
A nuclear electron that is emitted during the decay of a neutron.
Positron Particles
An electron with a +1 charge emitted when a nucleus has too many protons.
Electron Capture
When an electron from the cloud enters the nucleus, reducing the number of protons.
Gamma Rays
High-frequency electromagnetic radiation emitted from unstable nuclei, having no mass or charge.
Half Life
The amount of time it takes for half of the nuclei of a substance to decay.
Effects of radioactivity on Humans
Nausea, vomiting, skin redness, hair loss, radiation burns, radiation sickness, and cancer.
Fission
A process where a neutron slams into a larger element, causing the atom to split.
Fusion
The joining of two or more lighter atoms to create one larger atom.
X-Rays
Radiation discovered by Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen, revolutionizing medical imaging.
Iron-56
Considered the most stable isotope.
Nuclear reactions
The transformations of elements through the process of transmutation.
Radon
A gas with a 3-day half-life that is dangerous when inhaled, as it can lead to lung cancer.
Wilhelm Roentgen
Discovered X-rays and his findings led to significant advancements in medical imaging.
Marie Curie
Coined the term 'radioactivity' and won two Nobel Prizes for her work on radium.
Henri Becquerel
Discovered spontaneous radioactivity through experiments with uranium.
Isotopes
Atoms of the same element that have different numbers of neutrons and different mass numbers.
Nuclide
A nuclear species defined by its number of protons and neutrons.
Radioactive Decay
The process by which an unstable atomic nucleus loses energy by radiation.
Radiation
The emission of energy as electromagnetic waves or as moving subatomic particles.
Carbon-14 Dating
A method for determining the age of an object containing organic material by measuring the amount of carbon-14 it contains.
Radiopharmaceuticals
Radioactive compounds used for diagnosis or treatment in nuclear medicine.
Neutron Capture
A nuclear reaction in which an atomic nucleus captures a neutron, forming a heavier isotope.
Chain Reaction
A series of events where a reaction causes a further reaction, commonly seen in nuclear fission.
Emissions
Particles or energy released during nuclear decay or other nuclear processes.
Critical Mass
The minimum amount of fissile material needed to maintain a nuclear chain reaction.
