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Uranium-238 is an isotope of uranium - Edexcel - GCSE Physics - Question 4 - 2013 - Paper 1
Question 4
Uranium-238 is an isotope of uranium. It may undergo either radioactive decay or nuclear fission. A nucleus of uranium-238 is shown as Q in the chart. (a) State tw... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:Uranium-238 is an isotope of uranium - Edexcel - GCSE Physics - Question 4 - 2013 - Paper 1
Step 1
Step 2
Explain what happens when Q decays to P.
Answer
When Q decays to P, the atomic number decreases by 2 and the mass number decreases by 4. Specifically, the nucleus emits an alpha particle, which consists of 2 protons and 2 neutrons, thus changing the original element into a new one with 90 protons and a mass number of 234.
Step 3
Explain what happens when P decays to O.
Answer
In the decay process from P to O, a neutron in the nucleus of P changes into a proton. This leads to an increase in the atomic number. P emits a beta particle, which is a high-energy electron, contributing to the transformation into O. Consequently, while the mass number remains unchanged, the atomic number increases by 1.