Nuclear Physics: Decay Rate
Nuclear Physics: Decay Rate
Nuclear Physics: Decay Rate
DECAY RATE
dN
DECAY LAW N
dt
dN
• The rate of radioactive N
dt
emissions of a radioactive dN
nuclide is directly dt
N
proportional to the amount of
N
radioactive material present. ln t
N0
Nt
λ = the decay constant e t
Nt = number of radioactive nuclei at time t N0
No = initial number of radioactive nuclei i.e. t=0 N0
e t
Nt
DECAY LAW
• So the decay of a radioactive element is
exponential
• The decay law does not say when a nucleus
will decay i.e. decay process is random.
• The decay constant is a measure of the rate at
which the nuclide releases radioactive
emissions.
DECAY LAW
• Average lifetime of a radioactive nuclide is
given by:
2.159 x10
t 5.167 x10 6 s 59.8day 60days
NOTE THE FOLLOWING
• Note: Alpha and beta particles are called
particulate radiation.
• Gamma rays are electromagnetic radiation.
• In a nuclear process, energy, mass, nucleon
and atomic number, are conserved.
NUCLEAR BINDING ENERGY
• Classically a bound system is at a lower
energy level than its unbound constituents, its
mass must be less than the total mass of its
unbound constituents.
• Mass deficit: difference between the mass of a
system and the sum of the masses of its
isolated parts.
NUCLEAR BINDING ENERGY
• Mass defect: difference between the unbound
system’s calculated mass and experimentally
measured mass of nucleus
• Mass defect =
(unbound system calculated mass) - (measured mass
of nucleus)
(sum of masses of nucleons) - (measured mass of
nucleus)
Einstein,while developing the theory of relativity suggested that mass and energy
are equivalent. if a body’s energy changes by E,, then its mass, m, must be changed
by the amount E/c2, where c is the speed of light.
te
No
This reasoning led to the equation E = mc2
NUCLEAR BINDING ENERGY
• When the nucleons form a nucleus, they lose a
small amount of mass, (there is mass defect)
The energy equivalent of the mass-defect is
the binding-energy.
binding energy = mass defect × c2
• the amount of energy required to break the
nucleus into protons and neutrons
NUCLEAR BINDING ENERGY
To convert the mass defect into energy:
Convert the mass defect into kilograms (1 amu =
1.6606 x 10-27 kg)
Convert the mass defect into its energy
equivalent using Einstein's equation
Eb =(Z × mH + N × mn – misotope)× 931.5MeV/amu