Radioactive decay

These diagnostic questions and response activities (contained in the zip file) support students in being able to:

• Describe the effect of the electrostatic force within an atomic nucleus.
• Interpret nuclear equations to describe the alpha decay of radioactive nuclei.
• Describe what happens to an atom and its nucleus during an alpha decay.           
• Explain why large nuclei with too many protons emit alpha particles rather than protons.
• Explain why a nucleus usually emits gamma radiation after an alpha decay.
• Restate, in own words, the reasons why a nucleus cannot be made of just neutrons.
• Interpret nuclear equations to describe the beta decay of radioactive nuclei.
• Describe what happens to an atom and its nucleus during a beta decay.
• Explain why a nucleus can often emit gamma radiation after a beta decay.
• Explain why the chances of beta decay increase with the proportion of neutrons to protons in a nucleus.

The resources include details of common misconceptions and a summary of the research upon which the resources are based.

Download the zip file for all the questions and activities.

More resources like this can be found on the BEST webpage:  Best Evidence in Science Teaching