radiation

• the nuclei of some isotopes break down spontaneously, emitting radioactive particles, these are known as radioactive isotopes
• in the radioactive decay process, unstable nuclei are rearranged into more stable nuclei by the release of energy
• there is no possible way to make any difference to the rate of radioactive decay
• alpha particles consist of helium nuclei, which is represented using the nuclide notation 4/2 He
• alpha particles have a charge of 2+ and contain 2 protons and 2 neutrons
• beta particles are electrons which have been ejected from the nucleus and carry a charge of -1
• gamma radiation are electromagnetic waves emitted from within the nucleus of an atom
• gamma rays are waves, not particles, so they have no mass or charge
• beta radiation is deflected the most because the particles are very light