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Science Ch 9- JWit
Nuclear Changes
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| process where an unstable nucleus emits one or more particles or energy in the form of electromagnetic radiation | radioactivity |
| particles that are released from the nucleus during radioactive decay | nuclear radiation |
| positively charged atom that is released in the disintegration of radioactive elements and that consists of two protons and two neutrons | alpha particles |
| charged electron emitted during certain types of radioactive decay, such as beta decay | beta particle |
| high-energy photon emitted by a nucleus during fission and radioactive decay | gamma ray |
| time required for half of a sample of a radioactive substance to disintegrate by radioactive decay or by natural processes | half-life |
| process by which a nucleus splits into two or more fragments and releases neutrons and energy | fission |
| a continuous series of nuclear fission reactions | nuclear chain reaction |
| the minimum mass of a fissionable isotope that provides the number of neutrons needed to sustain a chain reaction | critical mass |
| the process in which light nuclei combine at extremely high temperatures, forming heavier nuclei and releasing energy | fusion |
| the nuclear radiation that arises naturally from cosmic rays and from radioactive isotopes in the soil and air | background radiation |
| quantity of ionizing radiation that does as much damage to human tissue as 1 roentgen of high-voltage x rays does | rems |
| radioactive material that is added to a substance so that its distribution can be detected later | radioactive tracers |
| treatment that uses controlled doses of nuclear radiation for treating diseases | radiotherapy |
| produced by the radioactive decay of uranium-238 present in soil and rocks | radon gas |
| discovered the element radium, which was later found to emit gamma rays | Marie Curie |
| consists of matter that is emmitted from an unstable nucleus | neutron emission |
| Showed that alpha particles are helium nuclei by trapping alpha particles from radon-222 decay in a glass tube | Ernest Rutherford |
| first discovered nuclear fission | Hahn and Strassman |
| magnetic resonance imaging | MRI |
| alpha, beta, gamma, and X-rays can change the number of electrons in atoms in living materials | ionization |