Physics Course/Radiation/Radioactive Decay Radiation

Radioactivities Radioactivity is the conversion of one nuclear state to another only happen with elements that has unstable Nuclei . It involves Decay of Radioactive Element accompany by an emission of streams of Charged Particles namely Alpha, Beta , Gamma called Electromagnetic radiation in the form of Invisible Light and a release of enormous Heat Energy into the surrounding calculated by Einstien's Formula E = M C2 Where correspond to difference in mass during the radioactivity . Radioactive Decay Most sources of natural, predictable radiation come from the decay of atomic nuclei, resulting in either alpha - or beta - particles. In general, decay is more common among the heavier elements, as it reduces the proton:neutron ratio, while decay is much more prominent among lighter elements, as it converts a neutron into a proton. Alpha Decay This is the first decay in the famous Uranium decay. U-238 is essentially non-radioactive (especially compared to hyper-active U-235), and has a half-life of over four billion years. Beta Decay This is the decay that allows for carbon dating, and has a half-life of over 5000 years. Gamma Decay Gamma radiation is much more difficult to come by, as emitting a gamma ray does not allow an atomic nuclei to decay. The most famous source of high-energy gamma rays is what happens when an electron and a positron annihilate: Reference Radioactivity