gamma radiation the third common type of radiation is called gamma radiation, or gamma rays. a gamma ray is high - energy radiation that has no mass and is denoted by the symbol γ. gamma rays are neutral, and so are not deflected by electric or magnetic fields. they often accompany alpha and beta radiation, and account for most of the energy lost during radioactive decay. for example, gamma rays accompany the decay of uranium - 238.
$_{92}^{238}u \
ightarrow _{90}^{234}th + \alpha + 2\gamma$
uranium - 238 thorium - 234 alpha particle gamma rays
because gamma rays are massless, the emission of gamma rays by themselves cannot result in the formation of a new element. table 5 summarizes the characteristics of alpha, beta, and gamma radiation.
nuclear stability much of science deals with understanding how things change and why they remain stable. an atom’s stability is governed by its ratio of neutrons to protons. atoms that contain either too many or too few neutrons are unstable and lose particles as they decay to form a stable nucleus. they emit alpha and beta particles, which change the neutron - to - proton ratio of the newly created nucleus. eventually, radioactive atoms undergo enough radioactive decay to form stable, nonradioactive atoms.
your progress
demonstrate understanding
24. describe the difference between radioactivity and radioactive decay.
25. state what quantities are conserved and which are not conserved in a nuclear reaction.
26. explain why beta particles are deflected towards a positive plate, alpha particles are deflected towards a negative plate, and gamma rays are not deflected.
27. calculate how much more mass does an alpha particle have compared to an electron?
28. create a table showing how each type of radiation affects the atomic number and mass number of an atom.
go online to follow your personalized learning path to review, practice, and reinforce your understanding.

Question

gamma radiation the third common type of radiation is called gamma radiation, or gamma rays. a gamma ray is high - energy radiation that has no mass and is denoted by the symbol γ. gamma rays are neutral, and so are not deflected by electric or magnetic fields. they often accompany alpha and beta radiation, and account for most of the energy lost during radioactive decay. for example, gamma rays accompany the decay of uranium - 238.
$_{92}^{238}u \
ightarrow _{90}^{234}th + \alpha + 2\gamma$
uranium - 238  thorium - 234  alpha particle  gamma rays
because gamma rays are massless, the emission of gamma rays by themselves cannot result in the formation of a new element. table 5 summarizes the characteristics of alpha, beta, and gamma radiation.
nuclear stability much of science deals with understanding how things change and why they remain stable. an atom’s stability is governed by its ratio of neutrons to protons. atoms that contain either too many or too few neutrons are unstable and lose particles as they decay to form a stable nucleus. they emit alpha and beta particles, which change the neutron - to - proton ratio of the newly created nucleus. eventually, radioactive atoms undergo enough radioactive decay to form stable, nonradioactive atoms.
your progress
demonstrate understanding
24. describe the difference between radioactivity and radioactive decay.
25. state what quantities are conserved and which are not conserved in a nuclear reaction.
26. explain why beta particles are deflected towards a positive plate, alpha particles are deflected towards a negative plate, and gamma rays are not deflected.
27. calculate how much more mass does an alpha particle have compared to an electron?
28. create a table showing how each type of radiation affects the atomic number and mass number of an atom.
go online to follow your personalized learning path to review, practice, and reinforce your understanding.

Accepted Answer

# Answer:
24. Radioactivity is the property of a substance to emit radiation, while radioactive decay is the process by which an unstable nucleus loses energy by emitting radiation.
25. In a nuclear reaction, mass - energy, charge, and nucleon number are conserved. However, mass is not conserved (mass can be converted to energy as per $E = mc^{2}$).
26. Beta particles ($\beta^{-}$ has a charge of $- 1e$) are deflected towards the positive plate (opposite charges attract). Alpha particles ($^{4}_{2}\text{He}^{2 +}$ has a charge of $+2e$) are deflected towards the negative plate (opposite charges attract). Gamma rays ($\gamma$) are neutral ($0$ charge), so they are not deflected by electric fields.
27. The mass of an alpha particle ($m_{\alpha}=6.65\times 10^{-27}\text{ kg}$) and the mass of an electron ($m_{e}=9.11\times 10^{-31}\text{ kg}$). The ratio $\frac{m_{\alpha}}{m_{e}}=\frac{6.65\times 10^{-27}}{9.11\times 10^{-31}}\approx7300$. So an alpha particle has about $7300$ times more mass than an electron.
28.
| Radiation Type | Effect on Atomic Number ($Z$) | Effect on Mass Number ($A$) |
|--|--|--|
| Alpha ($\alpha:^{4}_{2}\text{He}$) | $Z - 2$ | $A-4$ |
| Beta ($\beta^{-}:\text{}_{- 1}^{0}e$) | $Z + 1$ | $A$ (no change) |
| Gamma ($\gamma$) | $Z$ (no change) | $A$ (no change) |

Radiation Type	Effect on Atomic Number (\(Z\))	Effect on Mass Number (\(A\))
Beta (\(\beta^{-}:\text{}_{- 1}^{0}e\))	\(Z + 1\)	\(A\) (no change)
Gamma (\(\gamma\))	\(Z\) (no change)	\(A\) (no change)

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