radioactivity practice

nuclear radiation

charged particles & energy emitted from the nucleus of radioisotopes 

fusion

combining of two or more nuclei to form a larger nucleus

absolute dating

using the parent to daughter ratio in order to determine how old a sample is

relative dating

comparing rock layers compared to each other

radioactive dating

a method used to determine the age of materials by measuring the decay of radioactive isotopes

radioactive decay

the process where an unstable atomic nucleus releases energy by emitting particles or electromagnetic radiation to become more stable

alpha decay

a type of radioactive decay where an unstable atomic nucleus ejects an alpha particle to become more stable

beta decay

a type of radioactive decay where an unstable atomic nucleus releases a beta particle to become more stable

gamma decay

the process where an excited atomic nucleus releases energy in the form of high-energy electromagnetic radiation

half life

the time it takes for a quantity of a substance to decay to half of its initial value

fission

splitting of a large nucleus into 2 or smaller nuclei