what is atom decay?
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Many Atoms are inherently unstable. Their atomic nuclei are made up of an unstable number of Protons and Neutrons. Basically they are too heavy to hold together forever.
These unstable Atoms are referred to as *radioactive*
Given enough time the nucleus will break apart releasing energy in the form of radiation. This takes many forms like an Alpha Particle which is a Helium atom, a Beta Praticle which is an Electron or Positron, or Gamma radiation which is a Photon (Gamma ray)
The result is the Atom decays into a lighter element.
The amount of time this takes is measured as an Atoms *half life* which is the amount of time that it takes for half of an amount of that Atom to decay into lighter elements.
The resulting lighter elements can either be radioactive themselves and decay further, or something stable.
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