topic 1.2

• electron capture is the process of inverse beta decay. one of the orbital electrons is captured by a proton in the nucleus. produces a neutron, an electron neutrino is admitted.
• in electron capture the proton number decreases while the mass number stays the same
• carbon dating can be used to determine how long ago something died or was formed
• in positron emission, the proton number decreases while the mass number stays the same
• the half-life of a radioactive element is the time it takes for half the atoms in a sample to decay
• positron emission is where a proton turns into a neutron. a positron and electron neutrino are released