How does electromagnetic force contribute to the radioactivity of an atom?
1 Answer
The electromagnetic force is involved in alpha and gamma forms of radioactivity.
Explanation:
There are three types of radioactivity, alpha, beta and gamma.
Beta radioactivity involves the conversion of a proton into a neutron or vice versa. This requires the weak nuclear force.
Alpha and gamma radioactivity result from a nucleus having too much energy which it needs to expel to go into its lowest energy state.
Alpha radiation is when a nucleus expels an alpha particle which is a helium 4 nucleus consisting of two protons and two neutrons. This normally occurs in heavier elements. It involves both the strong nuclear force and the electromagnetic force. The strong nuclear force liberates binding energy which allows the alpha particle to form and be ejects by electromagnetic repulsion of the positively charged nucleus and alpha particle.
Gamma radiation occurs when a nucleus has too much energy. It normally happens after alpha or beta decay to minimise the energy of the remaining nucleus. Gamma radiation consists of photons which are the carriers of the electromagnetic force.
