Physics › Section V · Nuclear physics and its applications › Topic V.2
The nucleus and nuclear decay
A nucleus is a tiny, crowded bundle of protons and neutrons held together against fierce electric repulsion. When the balance is wrong it decays, and conservation laws let you predict both the product and the energy released.
In this topic
- What a nucleus is made of
- How big is a nucleus?
- Worked example: the size and density of aluminium-27
- The strong nuclear force
- The rules every decay obeys
- Alpha decay
- Worked example: the alpha decay of polonium-210
- Beta decay and the neutrino
- Worked example: beta energies from masses
- Gamma decay
- Common mistakes to avoid
- Key takeaways
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