Question

An alpha particle is equivalent to a _____ nucleus.

A .hydrogen
B. helium
C. lithium
D. barium

Answer 1

Alpha particle is equivalent to B. Helium atom (2 protons, 2 neutrons)

Answer 2

Answer: B. helium

Step-by-step explanation:

Alpha decay: In this process, alpha particles is emitted when a heavier nuclei decays into lighter nuclei. The alpha particle released has a charge of +2 units.

General representation of an element is given as:
`_Z^A\textrm{X}` where,

Z represents Atomic number

A represents Mass number

X represents the symbol of an element

`_Z^A\textrm{X}\rightarrow _(Z-2)^(A-4)+_2^4\alpha`

As the alpha particle has atomic number of 2 and mass number of 4, this is helium nuclei.