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Physics

GCSE · Edexcel

QuestionsFlashcards

Expressing Quantities & SI Units
- Units & Prefixes
  6
- Conversions & Standard Form
  6

Decay & Transformations Flashcards

All 6 cards in this deck

What happens to the mass number and atomic number when a nucleus emits an alpha particle?: Mass number decreases by 4; atomic number decreases by 2.
What happens to the mass number and atomic number when a nucleus emits a beta-minus particle?: Mass number stays the same; atomic number increases by 1.
What happens to the mass number and atomic number when a nucleus emits a positron ( $\beta^+$ )?: Mass number stays the same; atomic number decreases by 1.
What happens to the mass number and atomic number when a nucleus emits a gamma ray?: Neither changes; the nucleus only loses energy.
What happens to the mass number and atomic number when a nucleus emits a neutron?: Mass number decreases by 1; atomic number stays the same.
Why is gamma radiation often emitted straight after a nucleus has undergone alpha or beta decay?: The nucleus rearranges itself and loses its excess energy as gamma radiation.