ALPHA BETA AND GAMMA RADIATION

All three types of Radiation come from Radioactive Isotopes of Atoms. First we need to Understand what an Isotope is:

 

ORDINARY ATOM

ISOTOPE

NOTES

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ATOMIC STRUCTURE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE ORDINARY HYDROGEN ATOM HAS 2 PARTICLES IN THE NUCLEUS

 

 

THE ISOTOPE HAS 3

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CHEMICAL SYMBOL

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BECAUSE OF THE EXTRA NEUTRON IN THE NUCLEUS OF THE ISOTOPE, THE ATOMIC MASS HAS INCREASED TO 3

 

THE ISOTOPE IS LESS STABLE THAN THE ORDINARY ATOM