Consider the following image representing an atom. Which of the following types of radioactive decay would produce the largest mass change in the structure shown at the bottom of the image?

Question

Consider the following image representing an atom.  Which of the following types of radioactive decay would produce the largest mass change in the structure shown at the bottom of the image?

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Alpha decay involves the emission of a helium-4 nucleus, which has a mass of 4 and a charge of 2. This means that the mass number of the parent atom decreases by 4 and the atomic number decreases by 2. This produces the largest mass change compared to beta or gamma decay. Beta decay involves the emission of an electron or positron, which has a much smaller mass than a helium nucleus. Gamma decay does not involve the emission of any particles, only high-energy photons, and therefore does not result in any change in mass or atomic number.

Consider the Following Image Representing an Atom