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Ch. 16 Vocab
Question | Answer |
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radioactivity | the process by which an unstable nucleus emits one or more particles or energy in the form of electromagnetic radiation |
mass number | the sum of the numbers of protons and neutrons in the nucleus of an atom |
isotope | an atom that has the same number of protons (or the same atomic number) as other atoms of the same element do but that has a different number of neutrons (and thus a different atomic mass) |
half-life | the time required for half of a sample of a radioactive isotope to break down by radioactive decay to form a daughter isotope |
nuclear fission | the process by which the nucleus of a heavy atom splits into two or more fragments; the process releases neutrons and energy |
nuclear chain reaction | a continuous series of nuclear fission reactions |
nuclear fussion | the process by which nuclei of small atoms combine to form a new, more massive nucleus; the process releases energy |