NATS 1945 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Acute Radiation Syndrome, Atomic Nucleus, Uranium-234

• School: York University
• Department: Natural Science
• Course: NATS 1945
• Professor: Robin Metcalfe

Document Summary

Part 1: radioactivity: radioactivity decay: the spontaneous explosion of an atom(cid:495)s nucleus amount of energy is released in a short period of time. When this process occurs, the atom becomes a new atom that is lower in mass. The decay is due to an imbalance/instability between the forces that govern an. Radioactivity is the spontaneous breaking apart of an atom(cid:495)s nucleus -> huge atom(cid:495)s nucleus: recall: neutrons not = protons -> isotope, 238u -> 99. 3% 234u -> 0. 0055: natural uranium typically has way more neutrons than protons, isotopes of uranium are radioactive, a radioactive substance has atoms which naturally decay due to an imbalance among the forces between nucleons. This has to do with the distribution of protons and neutrons within an atom(cid:495)s nucleus. Electric repulsion of protons strains the nucleus, but the (residual) strong nuclear force hold the nuclear together.