I know now that when isotopes are unstable, something may become radioactive. But what exactly does that mean?
In: Physics
Something is radioactive if it releases nuclear radiation. Nuclear radiation is the result of radioactive decay of an unstable nucleus. When a nucleus undergoes radioactive decay, it spits out a particle of some kind, and the nucleus may change as a result of whatever it spit out. This will could result in the nucleus becoming a different isotope or element. That particle that the nucleus spit out is the nuclear radiation.
There are three types of decay possible, alpha, beta and gamma. Each of these emits a different type of particle, and has a different effect on the nucleus. In alpha decay, the nucleus emits an alpha particle, which is a “helium nucleus” or two protons and two neutrons. In beta decay, the nucleus emits an electron and a neutron in the nucleus flips to become a proton. Gamma decay happens when the nucleus just has some extra energy and gets rid of that energy in the form of a high energy photon.
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