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Aims :

• To introduce the concepts of nuclear stability and radioactivity.
• To describe the different types of radioactive decay.

Objectives :
By the end of this course the student will be able to:

• State the forces acting within the nucleus and indicate their relative magnitude.
• Sketch the region enclosing stable nuclides on a graph of atomic number (Z) against neutron number (N), and comment on the shape.
• Specify the regions on such a graph occupied by alpha, beta negative and beta positive emitters and radionuclides which decay by K-electron capture.
• State the origin and the composition of alpha, beta negative, beta positive, gamma and X-rays.
• Predict the mass number and atomic number of the daughter product when a nuclide undergoes alpha decay, beta negative decay, beta positive decay, K-electron capture, and/or gamma emission.
• Use the Chart of the Nuclides to follow radioactive decay processes. Use the Half-Life of a radionuclide to determine how much of a radioactive material would remain after a defined time period.

Course Modules:

The Nature of Forces within the Nucleus Chart of the Nuclides How Nuclei become more Stable Half-Life Radioactive Decay Chains Assessment