nuclear equations

• Mass number = #protons + #neutrons
• Isotopes are atoms with different numbers of neutrons but the same number of protons.
• Alpha particles consist of two protons and two neutrons, represented as helium-4 2 or the Greek letter alpha.
• When an unstable nucleus like Uranium-238 undergoes alpha decay and emits an alpha particle, it loses two protons and two neutrons, represented by subtracting 4 from the mass number and 2 from the atomic number.
• The mass and atomic numbers on each side of the equation must be the same.
• Radium-226, with an atomic number of 88, would decay into Radon, represented by the symbol Rn.
• Beta decay involves a neutron turning into a proton and emitting a fast moving electron, represented by the beta particle, which is why the atomic number increases from 6 to 7 when a carbon-14 atom decays.
• The beta particle has a charge of minus one and a mass of pretty much zero, represented by a minus one and a zero respectively.
• Gamma radiation is pure energy and doesn't have any mass or charge, so if Thorium-234 undergoes gamma decay, it would just form Thorium-234 again plus a gamma ray, represented by the Greek letter gamma.
• The equations for neutron emission are also easy, for example, Beryllium-9 would decay into Beryllium-8 plus a neutron, represented by subtracting one from the mass number because it lost one neutron.