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In physics, radiation is the emission or transmission of energy in the form of waves or particles through space or a material medium. [ 1 ] [ 2 ] This includes: electromagnetic radiation consisting of photons , such as radio waves , microwaves , infrared , visible light , ultraviolet , x-rays , and gamma radiation (γ)
A material containing unstable nuclei is considered radioactive. Three of the most common types of decay are alpha, beta, and gamma decay. The weak force is the mechanism that is responsible for beta decay, while the other two are governed by the electromagnetic and nuclear forces. [1] Radioactive decay is a random process at the level of ...
Cluster decay, also named heavy particle radioactivity, heavy ion radioactivity or heavy cluster decay, [1] is a rare type of nuclear decay in which an atomic nucleus emits a small "cluster" of neutrons and protons, more than in an alpha particle, but less than a typical binary fission fragment.
In other words, the probability of a radioactive atom decaying within its half-life is 50%. [2] For example, the accompanying image is a simulation of many identical atoms undergoing radioactive decay. Note that after one half-life there are not exactly one-half of the atoms remaining, only approximately, because of the random variation in the ...
It is important to note that a vast number of processes can release radioactivity into the environment, for example, the action of cosmic rays on the air is responsible for the formation of radioisotopes (such as 14 C and 32 P), the decay of 226 Ra forms 222 Rn which is a gas which can diffuse through rocks before entering buildings [6] [7] [8 ...
Radiochemistry is the chemistry of radioactive materials, in which radioactive isotopes of elements are used to study the properties and chemical reactions of non-radioactive isotopes (often within radiochemistry the absence of radioactivity leads to a substance being described as being inactive as the isotopes are stable).
The radioactive decay can produce a stable nuclide or will sometimes produce a new unstable radionuclide which may undergo further decay. Radioactive decay is a random process at the level of single atoms: it is impossible to predict when one particular atom will decay.
In nuclear physics, the Geiger–Nuttall law or Geiger–Nuttall rule relates the decay constant of a radioactive isotope with the energy of the alpha particles emitted. Roughly speaking, it states that short-lived isotopes emit more energetic alpha particles than long-lived ones.