Final answer:
The claim that scientists induce transmutations using high-energy alpha, beta, or gamma radiation is false; transmutations involve bombarding nuclei with particles like alpha particles or neutrons.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that scientists induce transmutations by bombarding stable nuclei with high-energy alpha, beta, or gamma radiation is false. Instead, transmutation is typically induced using particles such as alpha particles (which are helium nuclei), neutrons, or other subatomic particles. Bombarding nuclei with these particles can convert one element into another, a process that can result in the creation of stable or radioactive nuclides.
Ernest Rutherford famously performed the first artificial transmutation in 1919, bombarding nitrogen atoms with alpha particles to create oxygen and hydrogen. Today, particle accelerators are used to achieve the necessary kinetic energies for induced transmutations, providing us with a method to create new substances and discover the properties of elements.