Introduction

In previous pages in this series we looked at the theoretical aspects of the equation E = mc2. We will now start to look at the practical aspects, starting with radioactive decay. The term “radioactive decay” has negative connotations; we hear about nuclear waste decaying and the harmful radiation released and so on. However, the process is not only a natural one but we are constantly surrounded by material that is radioactively decaying. In fact, some of the material that you and I are made of is radioactively decaying, at least a little. High levels of radioactive decay can indeed be dangerous, but in small amounts it is part of the everyday and natural world around us.

On this page we will look at three kinds of decay; alpha (in which a helium nucleus is released), beta (in which an electron is released) and gamma (in which a photon is released). In doing so I will use examples of real decays, but ignore complications such as neutrino emissions (neutrinos are tiny particles that are sometimes released in radioactive processes, but they are so small that we do not need to consider them here).

via E=mc^2 – Radioactive Decay Explained with Worked Examples.