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(Warning: This is a little long. For a summary, scroll down to the bottom.)
Depends on the kind of decay. There are many different types of possible nuclear decays:
- Alpha decay (throwing off helium-4 nuclei)
- Beta-minus decay (converting neutrons to protons, releasing electrons)
- Beta-plus decay (converting protons to neutrons, releasing positrons)
- Gamma decay (emission of high-energy photons after alpha or beta decay)
- Electron capture (an electron falls into the nucleus, converting protons to neutrons without releasing positrons)
- Spontaneous fission (the nucleus suddenly splits in two)
- Proton decay (a lone proton is thrown off)
- Neutron decay (a lone neutron is thrown off)9
Of all of those decays, beta decays and electron capture involve the weak nuclear force.
Deep inside of a proton or neutron, there are 3 fundamental particles named "quarks". In atomic nuclei, there are two kinds of quark: up and down. Up quarks have a charge of +2/3, while down quarks have a charge of -1/3 (yes, quarks have fractional charges.) Because of the strong nuclear force, quarks must gather into groups of 3.
A proton contains two up quarks and one down quark. Two up quarks (charge +4/3) and one down quark (charge -1/3) add up to the proton's net positive charge of +3/3.
A neutron contains two down quarks and one up quark. We'll let you do the math on this one, but they ultimately balance out to 0. Neutrons are heavier than protons, and, given the opportunity, they will spontaneously transform into a proton, throwing off an electron to balance the charges. A mysterious particle called an "antineutrino" is emitted (more on antineutrinoes later). This is caused by a down quark turning into an up quark via the weak nuclear force.
Beta-minus decay is simply when a neutron in a nucleus is converted into a proton, throwing off a high-energy electron. This electron is our beta-minus particle.
Beta-plus decay does not normally occur, because protons are lighter than neutrons, so they should not decay. But, in some particularly light nuclei, e.g. carbon-11, there is enough energy for a proton to transform into a neutron. This produces a high-energy particle called a positron. Positrons are basically electrons with a positive charge, instead of a negative one. A neutrino is also produced, more on these later. This is also governed by the weak nuclear force.
Electron-capture occurs in the same nuclei beta-plus decay can take place in. We'll use potassium-40 as our example. K-40 can either undergo beta-plus decay, or, there is a slighter chance one of its protons will "capture", or consume, one of its electrons. This converts the electron into a neutrino, while satisfying the nucleus, which transformed from potassium-40 into stable argon-40.
Neutrinoes are very evasive particles. They do not interact electromagnetically, hence the name, which means "small neutral one" in Italian. They are almost massless, and for a while, it was believed they were. Neutrinoes were first theorized in 1930 to explain why beta particles often had different energies, but were only found in 1955. Neutrinoes only interact via the weak nuclear force. They mainly serve a purpose as satisying the balance. There are also antineutrinoes, which are almost identical to normal neutrinoes, except for their position on the balance, explained below.
This balance is of something called "electron number". You see, in a nuclear reaction, the total number of electrons involved must be conserved, both before and after the reaction. Electrons and neutrinoes have an electron number of +1. Positrons and antineutrinoes have an electron number of -1. In beta-minus decay, we start with a neutron (electron number 0). It turns into a proton (also electron number 0), producing an electron (electron number +1) to conserve charge. In order to satisfy the balance and conserve electron number, an antineutrino (electron number -1) is released. Neutrinoes have no electrical charge, so both charge and electron number are balanced.
Alpha decay, gamma decay, and spontaneous fission do not rely on the weak nuclear force. Alpha decay is when a helium nucleus manages to escape the nucleus. Proton and neutron decay work in similar manners. Gamma decay is when nucleons leaving produces holes in lower-energy states, which higher-energy nucleons move into, releasing the energy in a high-energy photon. Spontaneous fission also works similarly to alpha decay: in fact, alpha decay is a version of spontaneous fission!
So, to answer your question simply, some decays are associated with the weak force, some aren't. Depends on which decay you're talking about.
What else can I help you with?
What are the causes of radioactive decay?
Nuclear instability (meaning instability of the nucleus of an atom) causes radioactive decay. This is a very complicated process, involving many subatomic particles (both fermions and bosons).
What happens during radioactive decay?
The timing of radioactive decay is unpredictable. The causes of radioactive decay are instability of a nucleus and chance events. Examples of these chance events are collisions by subatomic particles, vacuum fluctuations, and the like - unpredictable.
Is a strong weak rhythm in 3 or 4 time?
Three time is triple meter with a recurring pulse pattern of Strong/weak/weak. Four time is a duple meter with recurring pulse patterns of Strong/weak/less strong/weak. So . . . strong weak rhythm would fall into the duple meter pattern - to feel this for yourself, tap the rhythms on your knee or a table top until you feel the pulse pattern internally.
How is it possible that negatively charged beta particles are emitted from a positively charged nucleus during nuclear decay?
An electron (negative particle) and an electron neutrino (neutral particle) are released when a neutron (neutral particle) changes into a proton(positive particle) therefore in order for neutral charge to create a positive particle it also has to create a negative particle to balance it out.As a significant amount of binding energy is released, the electron is ejected at high velocity as beta radiation while the much more massive nucleus containing the newly created proton recoils with very low velocity. The neutrino having almost no mass is ejected at almost the speed of light, but is nearly impossible to detect except by implication from the "missing momentum".Basically beta particles are ejected from the nucleus by conservation of momentum before and after the decay event.
Is justin bieber buff?
No he is a weak boy :)
What nuclear reactions are associated with radioactive decay?
weak force
What type of force is involed in nuclear decay?
strong force & weak force
Which forces govern atomic decay?
The forces that govern atomic decay are the weak nuclear force and electromagnetic force. The weak nuclear force is responsible for processes like beta decay, while the electromagnetic force is involved in processes like gamma decay. These forces act on the subatomic particles within the nucleus to cause them to change states and decay into more stable configurations.
What does the weak nuclear force do in particle physics?
The weak nuclear force is responsible for causing certain types of radioactive decay in particles, such as beta decay. It is one of the four fundamental forces in nature, along with gravity, electromagnetism, and the strong nuclear force.
Which fundamental force causes some forms of radioactivity?
The weak nuclear force is responsible for some forms of radioactivity. It is involved in processes such as beta decay, where a neutron in an atomic nucleus is converted into a proton, an electron, and an antineutrino.
What are examples of weak nuclear force?
Strong nuclear force and weak nuclear force. The strong nuclear force overcomes the repulsion of the positively charged protons in the nucleus, holding it together. The strong nuclear force also holds the quarks together that make up protons, neutrons, etc. The weak nuclear force is responsible for beta decay.
4 types of forces?
Four types of forces are gravitational force, electromagnetic force, weak nuclear force, and strong nuclear force. Gravitational force is responsible for attracting objects towards each other, electromagnetic force is responsible for interactions between charged particles, weak nuclear force is involved in radioactive decay, and strong nuclear force binds protons and neutrons in an atomic nucleus.
What are the 4 forces?
The four fundamental forces in nature are gravity, electromagnetic force, weak nuclear force, and strong nuclear force. Gravity is responsible for the attraction between masses, electromagnetic force governs interactions between charged particles, weak nuclear force is responsible for radioactive decay, and strong nuclear force binds atomic nuclei together.
Does a weak force glue protons together in the nucleus?
The force between nucleons is called nuclear force.
Example of weak nuclear force?
That is not something you encounter in your "daily life", unless you work in some very specific research area. The weak nuclear force plays a role in the breaking apart of some radioactive nuclei.
What effect does the weak nuclear force have on an object?
The weak nuclear force is responsible for radioactive decay processes in atomic nuclei. It can transform one type of subatomic particle into another, resulting in the release of energy. This force is crucial for maintaining stability within the nucleus despite the repulsive electromagnetic forces between protons.
What is the diffirence between nuclear force and weak nuclear force?
Yes. The Strong Nuclear Force is the force that holds the protons and neutrons together in the nucleus and is transmitted by gluons. It is the glue that holds the nucleus together. The Weak Force is responsible for the decay of radioactive elements. It ejects neutrons from the nucleus of a radioactive atom.
