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Radioactive Decay and Half Lives

Radioactivity is created by an unstable nucleus.  The unstable nucleus decays and emits alpha, beta or gamma radiation.

Alpha radiation is a helium nucleus - a mass of 4 and a charge of 2, made of two protons and two neutrons. When a nucleus emits an alpha particle, its mass number decreases by 4, its atomic number decreases by 2 and a…