Description
Most types of atomic nuclei are stable, but some are unstable, which means that they can spontaneously undergo the process of radioactive decay. When a nucleus decays, it will emit either ionising radiation in the form of an alpha particle, a beta particle, a gamma ray or a neutron. All of these processes are looked at in detail in this video, as are the relevant nuclear decay equations and the properties and behaviours of each of these types of nuclear radiation.
Key Words
aluminium, count rate, ion, Geiger-Muller tube, nucleus, beta particle, neutron, gamma ray, alpha particle, penetration, unstable, stopping, random, decay equation, radioactive decay, ionisation, decay, paper, activity, lead, becquerels
