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Radioactive Decay


Guest KAPOWW!!

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Guest KAPOWW!!

Can someone explain this excerpt from my textbook please?

"IF nucleus A was made from its constituents (Binding energy) and it released 400MeV, but making nucleus B(product) releases 405MeV. Therefore if A changes to B, 5 MeV of energy must be released. This excess energy is given to the particle emitted"

Thanks guys!! :D

Edited by KAPOWW!!
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Okay. So. Binding energy can be defined as the energy holding together a nucleus, OR the energy required to split the nucleus. In radioactive decay, energy is released in the form of mass. This represents the mass of energy lost to the environment after decay. The equation used is E = mc2, where

E = binding energy

m = mass defect, which is found by determining the amount of nuclei in an atom, and subtracting the original given mass from this.

c2 = speed of light (3 x 108)

:)

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Guest KAPOWW!!

Okay. So. Binding energy can be defined as the energy holding together a nucleus, OR the energy required to split the nucleus. In radioactive decay, energy is released in the form of mass. This represents the mass of energy lost to the environment after decay. The equation used is E = mc2, where

E = binding energy

m = mass defect, which is found by determining the amount of nuclei in an atom, and subtracting the original given mass from this.

c2 = speed of light (3 x 108)

:)

:S That didn't answer it, but thanks for trying :)

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Can someone explain this excerpt from my textbook please?

"IF nucleus A was made from its constituents (Binding energy) and it released 400MeV, but making nucleus B(product) releases 405MeV. Therefore if A changes to B, 5 MeV of energy must be released. This excess energy is given to the particle emitted"

Thanks guys!! :D

Radioactive Decay is the spontaneous decay of a nucleus, right? So, to do this, a binding energy is needed (the energy to split a nucleus). In this process, energy is released. This energy is mass. This is what your

This excess energy is given to the particle emitted
would be. There are 3 types of decay; alpha, beta and gamma. Alpha decay is just the release of a Helium nucleus (1 proton, 1 electron). Beta decay occurs when either a neutron decays into a proton and an electron, or when a proton decays into a neutron and a positron, with the latter being emitted. Gamma emits photons.

So.. 5MeV of energy is released. This is the energy given to one of the above mentioned particles which is emitted when nucleus A decayed into nucleus B.

Does that sort of help more?

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Guest KAPOWW!!

Can someone explain this excerpt from my textbook please?

"IF nucleus A was made from its constituents (Binding energy) and it released 400MeV, but making nucleus B(product) releases 405MeV. Therefore if A changes to B, 5 MeV of energy must be released. This excess energy is given to the particle emitted"

Thanks guys!! :D

Radioactive Decay is the spontaneous decay of a nucleus, right? So, to do this, a binding energy is needed (the energy to split a nucleus). In this process, energy is released. This energy is mass. This is what your

This excess energy is given to the particle emitted
would be. There are 3 types of decay; alpha, beta and gamma. Alpha decay is just the release of a Helium nucleus (1 proton, 1 electron). Beta decay occurs when either a neutron decays into a proton and an electron, or when a proton decays into a neutron and a positron, with the latter being emitted. Gamma emits photons.

So.. 5MeV of energy is released. This is the energy given to one of the above mentioned particles which is emitted when nucleus A decayed into nucleus B.

Does that sort of help more?

Hmmm, but if that's what you're saying then isn't energy also imparted to the nuclues who ALSO puts on(lol) 5MeV??

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You know the periodic table of elements?

Pick an atom

Note the atomic mass of it

Find out how many protons are in it

Multiply that by 1 proton rest mass.

Now do the same process for the neutrons.

Add the two numbers together, and compare this with your original atomic mass given off the table.

They are different.

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Guest KAPOWW!!

You know the periodic table of elements?

Pick an atom

Note the atomic mass of it

Find out how many protons are in it

Multiply that by 1 proton rest mass.

Now do the same process for the neutrons.

Add the two numbers together, and compare this with your original atomic mass given off the table.

They are different.

Sorry, you just don't get me.

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Can someone explain this excerpt from my textbook please?

"IF nucleus A was made from its constituents (Binding energy) and it released 400MeV, but making nucleus B(product) releases 405MeV. Therefore if A changes to B, 5 MeV of energy must be released. This excess energy is given to the particle emitted"

Thanks guys!! :D

All this is saying is that decay releases more energy than the binding energy that was originally holding it together. The last sentence is saying that this is happening because a particle is being emitted and our lovely Einstein equation that ChikkyD already described relates energy to mass, meaning they are the same thing essentially.

I'm assuming the confusion is coming from the idea of how in the hell is more energy being released than there was to begin with. The 400MeV binding energy is released because the nucleus is breaking, makes sense right? Nucleus breaks...BINDING energy is released, yea...

The extra 5MeV...is the particle...5MeV is a mass measurement and energy measurement XD

Can someone explain this excerpt from my textbook please?

"IF nucleus A was made from its constituents (Binding energy) and it released 400MeV, but making nucleus B(product) releases 405MeV. Therefore if A changes to B, 5 MeV of energy must be released. This excess energy is given to the particle emitted"

Thanks guys!! :D

Alpha decay is just the release of a Helium nucleus (1 proton, 1 electron). Beta decay occurs when either a neutron decays into a proton and an electron, or when a proton decays into a neutron and a positron, with the latter being emitted. Gamma emits photons.

Alpha particle is 2 protons and 2 neutrons.

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Can someone explain this excerpt from my textbook please?

"IF nucleus A was made from its constituents (Binding energy) and it released 400MeV, but making nucleus B(product) releases 405MeV. Therefore if A changes to B, 5 MeV of energy must be released. This excess energy is given to the particle emitted"

Thanks guys!! :D

All this is saying is that decay releases more energy than the binding energy that was originally holding it together. The last sentence is saying that this is happening because a particle is being emitted and our lovely Einstein equation that ChikkyD already described relates energy to mass, meaning they are the same thing essentially.

I'm assuming the confusion is coming from the idea of how in the hell is more energy being released than there was to begin with. The 400MeV binding energy is released because the nucleus is breaking, makes sense right? Nucleus breaks...BINDING energy is released, yea...

The extra 5MeV...is the particle...5MeV is a mass measurement and energy measurement XD

Can someone explain this excerpt from my textbook please?

"IF nucleus A was made from its constituents (Binding energy) and it released 400MeV, but making nucleus B(product) releases 405MeV. Therefore if A changes to B, 5 MeV of energy must be released. This excess energy is given to the particle emitted"

Thanks guys!! :D

Alpha decay is just the release of a Helium nucleus (1 proton, 1 electron). Beta decay occurs when either a neutron decays into a proton and an electron, or when a proton decays into a neutron and a positron, with the latter being emitted. Gamma emits photons.

Alpha particle is 2 protons and 2 neutrons.

Whoops my mistake >_> blush.gif

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Guest KAPOWW!!

Can someone explain this excerpt from my textbook please?

"IF nucleus A was made from its constituents (Binding energy) and it released 400MeV, but making nucleus B(product) releases 405MeV. Therefore if A changes to B, 5 MeV of energy must be released. This excess energy is given to the particle emitted"

Thanks guys!! :D

All this is saying is that decay releases more energy than the binding energy that was originally holding it together. The last sentence is saying that this is happening because a particle is being emitted and our lovely Einstein equation that ChikkyD already described relates energy to mass, meaning they are the same thing essentially.

I'm assuming the confusion is coming from the idea of how in the hell is more energy being released than there was to begin with. The 400MeV binding energy is released because the nucleus is breaking, makes sense right? Nucleus breaks...BINDING energy is released, yea...

The extra 5MeV...is the particle...5MeV is a mass measurement and energy measurement XD

Can someone explain this excerpt from my textbook please?

"IF nucleus A was made from its constituents (Binding energy) and it released 400MeV, but making nucleus B(product) releases 405MeV. Therefore if A changes to B, 5 MeV of energy must be released. This excess energy is given to the particle emitted"

Thanks guys!! :D

Alpha decay is just the release of a Helium nucleus (1 proton, 1 electron). Beta decay occurs when either a neutron decays into a proton and an electron, or when a proton decays into a neutron and a positron, with the latter being emitted. Gamma emits photons.

Alpha particle is 2 protons and 2 neutrons.

The line:

The extra 5MeV...is the particle...5MeV is a mass measurement and energy measurement

confused the hell outta me!

Okay, I think I got this cleared, just tell me if I'm right, BE is a negative quantity(-400), so essentially BE is more(since its negative and getting more negative is more, eh?)after the decay at (-405) but mathematically, it means for -400 to become -405 its lesser, so its has to lose 5 MeV! Now it makes sense when the textbook says that 'a nucleus changes into one with lower energy-this means that a nucleus changes into one with more BE' Voila!! :D :D

Please review my conclusion! Much appreciated.

I'm confusing at times, I'll admit so the thing above i'll rewrite as an easier version for those who didn't get it, here:

When a nucleus that releases 400 MeV on creation(BE) changes into one with a BE 405, it is actually losing energy, since BE is a negative quantity and its get more negative.

Conclusion:So an atom loses energy to get to have more BE, and that's where the energy for the radiated particle comes from.(solving my query that Drake phrased'how the hell is more energy being released than there was to begin with' (in perfect manner that makes it a bit spooky too!) ;))

Thanks ChikkyD for your unrelenting attempts to help me get this and Drake too! :D

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