-Unlike a stable atom, an unstable atom undergoes decay.
-Radioisotopes are atoms that decay spontaneously to produce other elements.
-All nuclear decay is accomplished by emission of radiation.
-Radioactivity was first discovered by Becquerel.
-All of the known elements have at least one unstable isotope.
-The beta decay of Rb-87 produces 87/38 Sr.
-The half-life of a sample of a radioactive isotope is the time required for half of it to decay.
-An example of an isotope that has a short half life is nitrogen-16.
-The half-life of carbon-14 is 5730 years.
-Cosmic rays are streams of high-energy charged particles from outer space.
-A radioisotope that is often used to date objects made from plant or animal remains is carbon-14.
-The first nuclear bombardment reactions involved the use of alpha particles.
-The symbol used to represent a neutron is 1/0 n.
-The curie is equal to the number of particles produced per second by 1 gram of radium.
-The rem is most often used to measure radiation exposure in humans.
-The device generally used to measure the total amount of radiation a person has received is the dosimeter.
-Iodine-131 is often used to study to study thyroid function.
-Cobalt-60 is often used externally to destroy cancerous tissue.
-Radioactive decay reactions are not good candidates for power sources because their rate of energy output is not constant.
-Much energy is liberated per gram during the decay of a radioisotope.
-Meitner correctly explained why barium was among the products of the neutron bombardment of uranium.
-The splitting of a large nucleus into two smaller nuclei of approximately equal size is called nuclear fission.
-"energy=mass x the speed of light squared" correctly explains the relationship of energy, mass, and the speed of light.
-The joining of two small nuclei to form a larger nucleus is called nuclear fusion.
-A continuous series of fission reactions is called a chain reaction.
-Nuclear reactions that can occur only if the nuclei are heated to extremely high temperatures are called thermonuclear reactions.
-Plasma describes a 'sea' of bare nuclei with no electrons.
-The energy produced in the stars results from thermonuclear reactions.
-A device that creates plasma and uses a magnetic field to hold the plasma in a doughnut-shaped chamber is called a tokamak.
--Most of the concern about nuclear power is with the radioactive waste materials.