Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Radioactive decay is a random process at the level of single atoms. According to quantum theory, it is impossible to predict when a particular atom will decay, regardless of how long the atom has existed. [2] [3] [4] However, for a significant number of identical atoms, the overall decay rate can be expressed as a decay constant or as a half-life.
Nevertheless, when there are many identical atoms decaying (right boxes), the law of large numbers suggests that it is a very good approximation to say that half of the atoms remain after one half-life. Various simple exercises can demonstrate probabilistic decay, for example involving flipping coins or running a statistical computer program ...
The intense radiation of most observed GRBs is thought to be released during a supernova or superluminous supernova as a high-mass star implodes to form a neutron star or a black hole. From gravitational wave observations, short-duration (sGRB) events describe a subclass of GRB signals that are now known to originate from the cataclysmic merger ...
Alpha particles, also called alpha rays or alpha radiation, consist of two protons and two neutrons bound together into a particle identical to a helium-4 nucleus. [5] They are generally produced in the process of alpha decay but may also be produced in other ways. Alpha particles are named after the first letter in the Greek alphabet, α.
In a group of such atoms, if the number of atoms in the excited state is given by N 2, the rate at which stimulated emission occurs is given by = = where the proportionality constant B 21 is known as the Einstein B coefficient for that particular transition, and ρ(ν) is the radiation density of the incident field at frequency ν.
Radiation chemistry is a subdivision of nuclear chemistry which studies the chemical effects of ionizing radiation on matter. This is quite different from radiochemistry , as no radioactivity needs to be present in the material which is being chemically changed by the radiation.
GCSE Bitesize was launched in January 1998, covering seven subjects. For each subject, a one- or two-hour long TV programme would be broadcast overnight in the BBC Learning Zone block, and supporting material was available in books and on the BBC website. At the time, only around 9% of UK households had access to the internet at home.
For example, a transfer of a single electron between atoms is a useful approximation for bonds that form between atoms with one-electron more than a filled shell, and others that are one-electron short of a full shell, such as occurs in the compound sodium chloride and other chemical ionic salts. Many elements display multiple valences, or ...