Question
  1. Write the process of $\beta$ decay. How can radioactive nuclei emit $\beta$-particles even though they do not contain them? Why do all electrons emitted during $\beta$-decay not have the same energy? 
  2. A heavy nucleus splits into two lighter nuclei. Which one of the two - parent nucleus or the daughter nuclei has more binding energy per nucleon?

Answer

  1. A nucleus, that spontaneously decays by emitting an electron, or a positron, is said to undergo $\beta$ decay

[Alternatively $ ^{A}_{Z}\text{X}\longrightarrow^{\text{ }\text{ }\text{ }\text{ }\text{ }A}_{Z+1}\text{Y}+e^-+\bar{v}$

$ ^{A}_{Z}\text{X}\longrightarrow^{\text{ }\text{ }\text{ }\text{ }\text{ }A}_{Z-1}\text{Y}+e^++v$ (antineutrino)

During β decay, nucleons undergo transformation. We can have:

${n}\text{ }{\longrightarrow}\text{ }{p}+e^-+{\bar{v}}$

$ \longrightarrow$ A neutron converts into a proton and an electron [Alternatively

${p}\longrightarrow{n}+e^++v$

[A proton converts into a neutron and a positron] It is because the neutrinos, or antineutrino, carry off different amounts of energy.

  1. The daughter nuclei have more binding energy per nucleon.

Need a full question paper?

Generate a complete, print-ready paper with questions like this in minutes — across 16+ boards, with answer keys.

Start Generating Free

Similar questions

A parallel plate capacitor with air between its plates has a capacitance of 8 pF(1 pF = 10-12F) . What will be the capacitance if the distance between the plates is reduced by half, and the space between them is filled with a substance of dielectric constant 6?
Consider the circular motion of the earth around the sun. Which of the following statements is more appropriate?
  1. Gravitational attraction of the sun on the earth is equal to the centripetal force.
  2. Gravitational attraction of the sun on the earth is the centripetal force.
(a) What happens if a bar magnet is cut into two pieces: (i) transverse to its length, (ii) along its length?
(b) A magnetised needle in a uniform magnetic field experiences a torque but no net force. An iron nail near a bar magnet, however, experiences a force of attraction in addition to a torque. Why?
(c) Must every magnetic configuration have a north pole and a south pole? What about the field due to a toroid?
(d) Two identical looking iron bars A and B are given, one of which is definitely known to be magnetised. (We do not know which one.) How would one ascertain whether or not both are magnetised? If only one is magnetised, how does one ascertain which one? [Use nothing else but the bars A and B.]
  1. Draw circuit diagram and explain the working of a zener diode as a dc voltage regulator with the help of its I-V characteristic.
  2. What is the purpose of heavy doping of p- and n-sides of a zener diode?
A person standing on the top of a cliff 171ft high has to throw a packet to his friend standing on the ground 228ft horizontally away. If he throws the packet directly aiming at the friend with a speed of 15.0ft/s, how short will the packet fall?
A square coil of side 10 cm consists of 20 turns and carries a current of 12 A. The coil is suspended vertically and normal to the plane of the coil makes an angle of $30^{\circ}$with the direction of a uniform horizontal magnetic field of magnitude 0.80 T. What is the magnitude of the torque experienced by the coil?
Three capacitors of capacitance 2 pF, 3 pF and 4 pF are connected in parallel.
(a) What is the total capacitance of the combination?
(b) Determine the charge on each capacitor if the combination is connected to a 100 V supply.
C1 = 2 pF
= 2 X 10 -12 F
C2 = 3 pF
3 X 10 -12 F
C3 = 4 pF
= 4 X 10-12 F
Two neutral particles are kept 1m apart. Suppose by some mechanism some charge is transferred from one particle to the other and the electric potential energy lost is completely converted into a photon. Calculate the longest and the next smaller wavelength of the photon possible.
Two identical coherent waves, each of intensity I, are producing an interference pattern. Find the value of the resultant intensity at a point of:
  1. Constructive interference.
  2. Destructive interference.
What is the parallel connection of cells ? Derive the formula for equivalent $e m f$ and equivalent internal resistance for parallel connection of cell.