N.+Swans+Powerpoint

=**Radiation**= __By Nick Swanson__

===**About Radiation**=== Radiation is the process in which energy is emitted as particles or waves. Many people have received countless diseases such as cancer because of radiation. For example, the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings have killed people not by the explosion, but with the radiation that follows. There are two types of radiation: ionizing, which is the most common, and non-ionizing radiation, depending on its effect on atomic matter. However, there are 5 type of decay or emissions, which are the topics of this powerpoint.

**Alpha Emission**[[image:http://physics.unco.edu/sung/sci103/nuclear/alpha_decay.gif width="287" height="146" align="right" caption="Alpha Decay of Americium-241 to Neptunium-237"]]

 * causes a nucleus to emit a helium proton
 * which leads to two fewer protons and neutrons
 * the atomic number declines by two and the mass number by four
 * occurs when there is a proton overload.

**Beta Emission**[[image:http://physics.unco.edu/sung/sci103/nuclear/tritium_decay.gif width="324" height="140" align="right" caption="Beta Decay of Hydrogen-3 to Helium-3"]]

 * neutron in a radioactive nucleus converts into a proton and an electron, which forces it to emit the electron
 * leads to one more proton and one fewer neutron in the nucleus
 * atomic number increases by one, but the mass remains the same

**Positron Emission**[[image:http://physics.unco.edu/sung/sci103/nuclear/positron_decay.gif width="319" height="147" align="right" caption="Positron Decay of Carbon-11 to Boron-11"]]

 * occurs when the neutron to proton ratio is too small
 * proton turns into a neutron, which then turns into a positron which is emitted
 * positron is a positively charged electron

**Gamma Emission**[[image:http://physics.unco.edu/sung/sci103/nuclear/gamma_decay.gif width="317" height="137" align="right" caption="Gamma Decay of Helium-3"]]

 * occurs when the nucleus' energy is too high
 * nucleus' energy goes down
 * emits high energy proton aka gamma particle

**Electron Capture**[[image:http://physics.unco.edu/sung/sci103/nuclear/electron_capture.gif width="317" height="157" align="right" caption="Electron Capture of Beryllium-7"]]

 * occurs when proton ratio in nucleus is too small
 * turns proton into neutron

**Conclusion**
[|http://physics.unco.edu/sung/sc103/nuclear/radioactivedecay.htm] www.wikipedia.org www.cartage.org www.dictionary.com
 * Bibliography**