Question

What is the source of the energy emitted in radioactive decay? Identify an earlier conservation law, and describe how it was modified to take such processes into account.

a) The energy comes from the decayed particle itself. Modified law: Conservation of mass-energy.

b) The energy comes from the environment. Modified law: Conservation of momentum.

c) The energy comes from the nucleus. Modified law: Conservation of angular momentum.

d) The energy comes from the decay process. Modified law: Conservation of charge.

Answer 1

The source of energy emitted in radioactive decay is the conversion of a fraction of the original mass. The conservation law of mass-energy was modified to take into account this process.

Step-by-step explanation:

The source of the energy emitted in radioactive decay is the conversion of a fraction of the original mass of the decaying particle. This is due to the conservation of mass-energy, which was an earlier conservation law.

The conservation law was modified to take into account the energy produced in radioactive decay, which comes from the conversion of mass into energy. The general relationship is given by the equation E = ▲mc², where E is the nuclear reaction energy and ▲m is the difference in mass between the initial and final products.