Question

41. Plastic Bags Thin sheets of plastic are used to make

items such as grocery bags. The sheets move under a

source of promethium-147, emitting beta particles. The

radiation intensity, measured under the plastic sheets,

is used to monitor the thickness of the plastic. During

this process, promethium changes into which element?

Answer 1

Promethium-147 changes into promethium-148.

Step-by-step explanation:

Beta-decay: In this process, a neutron gets converted into a proton and an electron releasing a beta-particle. The beta particle released carries a charge of -1 units.

`_Z^A\textrm{X}\rightarrow _(Z+1)^A\textrm{Y}+_(-1)^0\beta`

`_(147)^(61)\textrm{Pm}\rightarrow _(148)^(61)\textrm{Pm}+_(-1)^0\beta`

During beta decay promethium-147 changes to promethium-148.