What are the main differences in alpha decay and beta decay?
1 Answer
Apr 8, 2016
Alpha decay releases a helium nucleus, while beta decay only releases an electron.
Explanation:
Alpha decay is the release of a helium nucleus, which is two protons and two neutrons. This decreases the total mass by
Beta decay is the decay of a neutron into a proton, which releases an electron. This keeps the mass the same, but increases the atomic number by