Nucle — Important Questions

Protons, Neutrons

The nucleus contains only protons and neutrons, collectively called nucleons. Electrons are found outside the nucleus in electron shells. Photons are electromagnetic radiation and are not constituent particles of atoms.

Alpha decay, Beta decay, Gamma decay

The three main types of radioactive decay are: α-decay (emission of helium nucleus), β-decay (emission of electrons or positrons), and γ-decay (emission of high-energy photons). Delta and epsilon decays are not recognized types of radioactive decay.

E = mc²

Einstein's famous mass-energy equivalence relation is E = mc², where E is energy, m is mass, and c is the speed of light in vacuum. This relation is fundamental to understanding nuclear binding energy and nuclear reactions.

Same number of protons but different number of neutrons

Isotopes are different forms of the same element, having the same atomic number (same number of protons) but different mass numbers (different number of neutrons). They have identical chemical properties but different physical properties.