Question

In the α decay producing (²⁰⁸Pb) from the decay series of (²³²Th), what is conserved?

A. Charge
B. Electron family number
C. Total number of nucleons
D. All of the above

Answer 1

d. In the α decay producing (²⁰⁸Pb) from the decay series of (²³²Th), charge (A), electron family number (Z), and the total number of nucleons (A) are all conserved.

Step-by-step explanation:

In the α decay producing (²⁰⁸Pb) from the decay series of (²³²Th), charge (A), electron family number (Z), and the total number of nucleons (A) are all conserved.

In α decay, an alpha particle, which consists of 2 protons and 2 neutrons, is emitted from the nucleus. The atomic number (Z) decreases by 2 and the mass number (A) decreases by 4. The daughter nucleus formed after α decay will have the same charge (A) as the parent nucleus.

Therefore, the correct answer is D. All of the above. All the conserved quantities, charge (A), electron family number (Z), and the total number of nucleons (A), remain the same before and after the α decay.