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Chapter Sixteen: Radioactive Decay

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What is an Alpha particle?   An Alpha particle is basically a Helium nucleus released after "Alpha Decay".  
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What is Alpha Decay?   When an atom's nucleus is large and unstable, and must remove two protons and two neutrons (Helium nucleus) to become smaller, thus becoming more stable.  
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What is a Beta particle?   A Beta particle is basically an electron, a negatively charged particle that is released after "Beta Decay".  
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What is Beta Decay?   Beta Decay is when a neutron is turned into a proton, or a proton into a neutron. Either way, an electron is emitted afterwards. This electron, in this case, is called a "Beta Particle".  
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What is Gamma Decay?   Gamma Decay is when an atom has a high energy level, and must emit a photon with high a amount of energy called a "Gamma Particle". This results in an atom with a lower energy level.  
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What is a Gamma Particle?   A photon emitted after Gamma Decay to lower an atom's energy level.  
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Briefly describe the process of radioactivity.   Radioactivity is the process by which a nucleus of an atom gives off nuclear radiation.  
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What is a mass number?   The mass number of an atom's nucleus is the sum of the numbers of protons and neutrons in that nucleus.  
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What are isotopes?   Isotopes are atoms with the same atoms of protons and electrons as normal atoms of that element do, but have a different number of neutrons, increasing it's atomic mass, causing it to weigh more than the normal atoms.  
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What is a half-life, in terms of radioactive decay?   A half-life is the amount of time it takes for half of a substance to decay (this could take thousands of years, depending on the element).  
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What is Nuclear Fission?   Nuclear Fission is the process by which a large nucleus splits into two smaller, more stable nuclei and energy is released.  
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What are continuous series of nuclear fission reactions?   Those are nuclear chain reactions. Example: a neutron hits a uranium nucleus, which splits into Barium and Krypton nuclei, plus three other neutrons that hit other uranium nuclei, that split into more Barium and Krypton nuclei and more neutrons...  
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What is the the process by which two or more nuclei that have small masses combine, to form one bigger nucleus; also releases energy?   That is called Nuclear Fusion.  
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