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Nuclear Equations

Akoranga 6 Te Whāinga Ako 🔗

Write the date and te whāinga ako in your books


Alpha Decay 🔗

Complete this cloze

In alpha emission, the decaying atom loses 2 protons and 2 neutrons.

This means that the atomic number of the decaying atom is ________ by ________ and the mass number is ________ by ________.


Pātai Tahi: Fill out this table for $\alpha$ decay 🔗


Whakatika Tahi 🔗


$$ begin{aligned} & {}^{214}{81}Tl \rightarrow {}^{210}{79}Au + {}^{4}{2}He \newline & {}^{214}{81}Tl \rightarrow {}^{210}{79}Au + {}^{4}{2}\alpha \newline \end{aligned}


Beta Decay 🔗

Complete this cloze

In a beta emission, a neutron turns into a proton and emits a high-speed electron.

This means that the atomic number of the decay atom is ________ by ________ and the mass number _____________.


Pātai Rua: $\beta$ Decay 🔗


Whakatika Rua 🔗


Pātai Toru: Write a nuclear equation 🔗


Whakatika Toru 🔗

$$ begin{aligned} & {}^{218}{84}Po \rightarrow {}^{218}{85}At + {}^{0}{-1}e \newline & {}^{218}{84}Po \rightarrow {}^{218}{85}At + {}^{0}{-1}\beta \newline \end{aligned} $$


Gamma Decay 🔗

Complete this cloze

In a gamma ($\gamma$) emission, the decaying atom only loses ________, which means it has the ________ number of protons and neutrons afterwards.


Pātai Whā: Gamma Decay 🔗


Whakatika Whā 🔗


Pātai Rimu: Write a nuclear equation 🔗


Whakatika Rimu 🔗

$$ begin{aligned} & {}^{201}{79}Au \rightarrow {}^{201}{79}Au + \gamma \newline \end{aligned} $$


Ngā Pātai: Write the following equations: 🔗

  1. An alpha decay of Polonium-218
  2. A beta decay of Hydrogen-3
  3. A gamma decay of Carbon-14
  4. An absorption of a neutron by Carbon-13

Ngā Whakatika 1-4 🔗

$$ begin{aligned} & {}^{218}{84}Po \rightarrow {}^{214}{82}Pb + {}^{4}{2}He \newline & {}^{3}{1}H \rightarrow {}^{3}{2}He + {}^{0}{-1}\beta \newline & {}^{14}{6}C \rightarrow {}^{4}{6}C + \gamma \newline & {}^{13}{6}C + {}^{1}{0}n \rightarrow {}^{14}_{6}C \end{aligned} $$


  1. A double alpha decay of Uranium-234
  2. A double alpha decay of Radon-222
  3. A double beta decay of Thorium-234
  4. A double beta decay of Bismuth-210

Ngā Whakatika 5-8 🔗

$$ begin{aligned} & {}^{234}{92}U \rightarrow {}^{226}{88}Ra + 2{}^{4}{2}He \newline & {}^{222}{88}Ra \rightarrow {}^{216}{84}Po + 2{}^{4}{2}He \newline & {}^{234}{90}Th \rightarrow {}^{234}{92}U + 2{}^{0}{-1}\beta \newline & {}^{210}{83}Bi \rightarrow {}^{210}{85}At + 2{}^{0}{-1}\beta \end{aligned} $$