The Atom
This particle has been called the 'nametag' of an element, since it defines the atom's identity.
What is a proton?
Elements can become this term if they have either too many particles or energy in the nucleus.
What is radioactive/unstable?
This type of radioactive decay causes the atomic number of an element to decrease by two.
What is alpha decay?
Stars rely on this process to produce lots of light and heat energy, which involves two or more nuclei combining to form a new nucleus.
What is fusion?
This type of nuclear reaction is what powers commercial nuclear reactors.
What is fission?
This part of an atom contains 99% of the mass of the atom.
What is the nucleus?
Elements usually need a similar number of these particles in order to be considered stable.
What are protons and neutrons?
When this type of decay occurs, high energy waves are dramatically released from the nucleus.
What is gamma decay?
When a nucleus is split into smaller nuclei, it undergoes this process.
What is fission?
A modern nuclear warhead consists of two explosion stages: a first stage fueled by the splitting of uranium or plutonium atoms followed by this type of nuclear reaction caused by the implosion and combination of isotopes of hydrogen.
What is fusion?
This particle carries a charge opposite to that of a proton, but has a mass less than half of one-thousandth of the mass of a proton.
What is an electron?
Different versions of an element are known by this name.
What is an isotope?
They may not share identities, but the result of nuclear decay has this family-like relationship to the original atom.
What is a daughter nucleus?
Every element on the Periodic Table was created through this process.
What is fusion?
Nuclear reactors produce energy without releasing any of this polluting airborne particle, unlike coal, oil, and gas powerplants.
What is carbon dioxide?
This particle is responsible for creating different versions of elements by appearing in different numbers in a nucleus.
What is a neutron?
Nuclei can decay randomly; either spontaneously or when this event happens to it.
What happens when a particle collides with the nucleus?
When Carbon-14 decays, it becomes a Nitrogen-14 as it undergoes this type of radioactive decay.
What is beta minus decay?
The first nuclear weapons produced heat as hot as the surface of the Sun, but operated through this process.
What is fission?
This medical procedure, sometimes called radiotherapy, uses radioactivity to target and kill cancer cells.
What is chemotherapy?
These three elements appear in every observed living thing.
What are carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen?
This Group 7 Transition Metal is the first radioactive element on the Periodic Table, with an atomic number significantly lower than other radioactive elements.
What is technetium?
If Uranium-235 decays into Thorium-231 and then becomes Protactinium-231, it has gone through these two types of decay. (order matters)
What is alpha decay then beta minus decay?
This is the name of the explosion of a star, which results in the heavy elements in the star being spread throughout the surrounding space.
What is a supernova?
The two nuclear bombs used at the end of WW2 were dropped on these two Japanese cities.
What are Hiroshima and Nagasaki?