atoms of one element change into atoms of another element
How does an element change during nuclear decay?
alpha, beta, gamma
What are the three types of nuclear radiation?
Geiger counters, film badges
What devices can be used to detect nuclear radiation?
an electron emitted by an unstable nucleus
What is a beta particle?
gamma ray
What type of nuclear radiation has no mass and no charge?
-1
What is the assigned number of beta particle?
gamma
What ray is a penetrating ray of energy emitted by an unstable nucleus?
gamma
What rays are energy waves that travel through space at the speed of light?
radioactivity
What is the process in which an unstable atomic nucleus emits charged particles and energy?
radioisotope
What is an atom containing an unstable nucleus is called a ___ __
nuclear radiation
____ ____ is charged particles and energy that are emitted from the nuclei of radioisotopes.
nuclear decay
___ ___ is spontaneous change of one isotope into another
ionization of matter
What is one effect of nuclear radiation?
rates are constant
How are nuclear decay rates different from chemical reaction rates?
carbon-14
Which of the following is a radioisotope commonly used in dating archeological artifacts?
beta particle
What type of nuclear radiation is emitted when carbon-14 decays?
transuranium
Elements with atomic numbers greater than 92 (uranium) are called __ elements.
Quarks
A subatomic particle theorized to be among the basic unit of matter: they make up protons, electrons, and neutrons.
over very short distances, strong nuclear forces are much greater that the electric forces in the nucleus
Under what conditions does the strong nuclear force overcome the repulsive effect of electric forces in the nucleus?
tremendous amounts of energy can be produced from very small amounts of mass.
What property of fission makes it a useful reaction?
among protons, neutrons, and protons with neutrons
What particles are affected by strong nuclear forces?
each nucleus that splits must on average produce at least one neutron that results in the fission of another nucleus.
What must happen in order for a nuclear chain reaction to occur?
to prevent the reactor core from overheating
Why is a cooling system necessary in a nuclear reactor?
fusion
___ is a process in which the nuclei of two atoms combine to form a larger nucleus.
plasma
___ is a state of matter in which atoms have been stripped of their electrons.
sun
____ is an example of fusion.
atomic bomb
____ is an example of fission
a helium atom
An alpha particle is identical to___.
remains the same
When a beta particle is emitted, the mass number of a nucleus_
gamma ray
The most penetration form of nuclear radiation is
one sixteenth
The half-life of cobalt-60 is 5.3 years. What fraction of a sample remains after 21.2 years?
the strong nuclear force
Nuclear particles are held together by _.
nuclear fission
Nuclear power plants generate electricity from __.
hydrogen to helium
The primary reaction inside stars changes __.
two protons, two neutrons
An alpha particle is made up of ____ and ___
gamma decay
Which type of nuclear radiation has no charge?
beta particle
When carbon-14 decays to form nitrogen-14, the carbon nucleus emits a(n) __.
Nuclear plants produce much less waste than fossil-fuel burning plants.
Which type of reaction produces energy in a nuclear power plant?
two days
A scientist studying an unusual radioisotope had a 500 g sample of the substance in her lab. When she returned to analyze it 6 days later, only 62.5 g of the original substance remained. What is the half-life of the substance?
50%
Strontium-90 has a half-life of 28 years. In 28 years, what percent of a 70 g sample would remain unchanged?
16.1 g
Gallium-65 has a half-life of 15.2 mins. Suppose you have a sample of gallium-65 that is 64.4 g. How much of the sample remains undecayed after 30.4 minutes?
fusion absorbs energy and fission releases energy
One major difference between fusion and fission is that_