types of decay
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physics 2
summary
the content provides an in-depth exploration of various nuclear decay modes, including alpha decay, beta decay, positron decay, electron capture, and gamma decay, highlighting the conservation of nucleons and the transformation of elements.
- alpha decay involves a nucleus splitting into a smaller nucleus and an alpha particle, conserving the total number of nucleons.
- beta decay results from a neutron converting into a proton, ejecting a beta particle, and increasing the atomic number by one.
- positron decay and electron capture both result in a proton transforming into a neutron, decreasing the atomic number by one, but through different processes.
- gamma decay involves the rearrangement of nucleons within the nucleus, releasing energy as gamma rays without altering the atomic number or mass number.
- the conservation of nucleons is a key principle across all decay modes, with specific changes to atomic and mass numbers depending on the decay process.
chapters
00:00
alpha decay
01:08
beta decay
02:12
positron decay and electron capture
03:51
gamma decay