Ok i am doing my Science homework and my teacher said we need to do work ourselves because he doesn't like the modern way of teaching, where he tells us... anyway. Can anyone explain what happens to the nucleus during radioactive decay caused by emission of a beta particle? Thanks for any help
2007-03-05 07:33:22 · 2 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
Yeah i know but it is really hard, i know it can cause ionization but i thought that was when cells received radiation, not when the nucleus emitted it
2007-03-05 07:42:08 · update #1
Can i be cheeky and ask for an equation to show what happens to? :D
2007-03-05 07:43:12 · update #2
Well, first understand what is a beta particle. It is an electron with a unit negative charge. So, when the nucleus emits a beta particle, its net positive charge goes up by +1 (a neutron has emitted a beta particle and became a proton). So, its atomic number goes up by 1.
Examples: 92 U 238 + neutron -----> 92 U 239 ----> 93 Neptunium 239+ beta
93 Neptunium 239 ----> 94 Plutonium 239 + beta
2007-03-05 07:41:54 · answer #1 · answered by Swamy 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I like your teachers method (we need more like him to raise intelligent students). Sounds like you are cheating on your homework. But I'll give you a hint, what is a beta particle? Then simply use conservation of charge to find out what happens to the nucleus.
2007-03-05 07:40:59 · answer #2 · answered by omnius76 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋