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The types we will discuss here are alpha, beta, and gamma. Alpha particles carry a positive charge, beta particles carry a negative charge, and gamma rays are neutral. Alpha particles are equivalent to a helium (He) nuclei, made of two protons and neutrons .
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Feb 12, 2021 · (Note: This guide is part of our MCAT Physics series.) Table of Contents Part 1: Introduction to atomic and nuclear physics Part 2: Atomic structure. a) Nuclear structure. b) Components of the nucleus. Part 3: Radioactive decay. a) Alpha decay. b) Beta decay. c) Gamma decay. d) Half-life and exponential decay. Part 4: High-yield terms and equations
Jan 3, 2024 · Radioactive decay, a spontaneous process, involves the transformation of an unstable atomic nucleus into a more stable one. On the MCAT, you’ll be expected to memorize and understand three different kinds of radioactive decay: Alpha, Beta, and Gamma. As Easy As Learning Your A, B, G’s.
Gamma rays are simply high energy photons, electromagnetic radiation. When a nucleus still has too much energy, but is done releasing alpha and beta decay particles, it will release the energy by swapping the spin of a neutron or proton and releasing a high energy photon in the process.
- simply speaking, the electrons in your finger are pushing the electrons of the object. Think of trillions of magnets in your finger with North faci...
- Yes! That has huge practical consequences e.g. for the choice of materials for the reactor vessels of nuclear power plants. You have to make sure t...
- "elektron" is the greek word for amber. It was the first material which was shown to have "strange" properties when rubbed (eg it attracted things)...
- Neutrons do *not* consist of a proton and an electron! Neutrons are made of three quarks: two "down" (short: d) quarks and an "up" (u) quark. A "d"...
- n --> p + e + neutrino In the decay process a certain (fixed) amout of energy is released and shows up in the kinetic energy of the three product p...
- You're right Michael, the positron (+ charge) would be attracted to, and annihilate with an electron (- charge) to produce energy equal to the comb...
- "instable" means that it is a state with excess energy which can undergo some process to reach a state of lesser energy. "Decay" of some sort provi...
- Yes, there are three types of nuclear decay. Alpha decay - an alpha particle emitted (alpha particle = nucleus of He atom --> 2 protons and 2 neutr...
- He-4 is a very stable nucleus configuration. It has an extremely high binding energy relative to the number of nucleons and is much more likely to...
- Session 183
- Passage 2
- Table 1 Description
- Question 6
- Phil Explains The Answer
- Question 7
- Thought Process
- Question 8
- Question 9
Phil and I are breaking down passage 2 in Blueprint MCAT full-length one on nuclear physics. Plus, we’ll give tips for tackling high-level questions on the MCAT. We’re joined by Phil from Blueprint MCAT, formerly Next Step Test Prep. If havevn’t already, sign up for their free diagnostic and you get the free full length one. You also get a lot of o...
Nuclear power plants harness the energy of uranium 235 fission and convert it to electricity fission is initiated by bombarding uranium 235 with neutrons, which splits them into smaller atoms, which then induce fission of nearby uranium 235 causing a chain reaction that releases energy. In 2011, power systems at Fukushima Daiichi NPP in Japan were ...
Table 1 is entitled I-131 Contamination, Morphological Defects, and Thyroid Cancer. It consists of five different areas here, labeled from highest to minimal contamination of this 131 iodine. This leader shoot deletion rates per number of trees, which looking at this doesn’t show any correlation with highest to minimal as far as the deletion rate p...
Which of the following are products of the decay of Iodine-131 ? A and B are both ionizing radiation C and D are non-ionizing radiation My thought process: To be cancerous and to cause effects, it has to be ionizing. So that’s just that, I think a knowledge thing right off the bat, so I’m not even going to waste my time with C and D. I’m going to s...
Correct Answer: (A) Xenon-131 The passage tells us that we have a couple kinds of radiation that are occurring. We have gamma emissions or emitting light, we’re doing gamma decay. And we’re also doing beta minus decay. Gamma Decay In gamma decay, just the nucleus reorganizes slightly, and it becomes more stable. And so those from higher energy to l...
Why did the researchers choose to study pediatric rather than adult thyroid cancer cases? (A) Thyroid cancer is not otherwise present in children. (B) Thyroid cancer is not otherwise present in adults. (C) Children receive a higher relative dose of iodine 131 at the same contamination levels (D) Children receive a lower relative dose of iodine 131 ...
Correct Answer: C They studied children because the children’s thyroid is taking up more iodine. Their metabolic level is higher versus adults where the metabolic level is a little bit lower. So we have a little bit less concern of that uptake. Plus, it’s the idea that just children are smaller than adults so children have a higher dose of the same...
Several families in areas four and five who read the results of the study believe that their children have no increased risk of developing thyroid cancer. Is this conclusion accurate? Phil’s notes:Going back to areas four and five, we have the low and minimal exposure, that contamination of the iodine 131. The cancer incidents in 2012 was 2377 for ...
It’s found that small to moderate doses of iodine-131 are more likely to cause thyroid cancer than extremely large doses. Which of the following provides the best explanation for this observation? (A) Small doses are not absorbed by the body. (B) Extremely large doses of iodine 131 are not absorbed by the body (C) The radiation released by large do...
This video is part of my full MCAT chemistry course which includes questions, and practice solutions. You can find the full course on my website: https://www...
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There are 3 basic types of nuclear decay: alpha (𝜶), beta (𝜷)-- divided into positive and negative --, gamma (𝜸). Only 𝜶 and 𝜷 decays result in a change in the atomic structure of the isotope. An 𝜶-decay results in a release of a helium nucleus with a mass number of 4 (2 protons and 2 neutrons).
