Which of the radioactive decay radiations has the highest energy?

Answer 1

The radioactive emissions with the highest charge are arguably the alpha particle. The alpha particle is a pair of protons and a pair of neutrons. It's actually a helium-4 nucleus, and it has a charge of +2 owing to the pair of protons. In fact, we often write it thus: 24He+2 The sub 2 at the start is the atomic number of the element, and the super 4 is the mass of the nucleus. The He defines the element, even as the atomic number 2 does, and the super +2 describes the charge of the particle. Note that the heavy ion collider takes atoms and strips off the electrons leaving just the nucleus with its massive positive charge. It then fires them into a series of accelerators to get them up to speed for use as "bullets" in experiments. But we don't see these things in nature. We'll see electrons with their -1 charge, and positrons with their +1 charge, both of which are beta radiation. We also see neutrons that lack a charge.

Answer 2

Gamma radiation has the highest energy and is the most dangerous form of radioactive decay. Gamma rays have great penetrating power, more than alpha or beta decay.