Each of the nuclear radiations has it own accepted symbol(s).
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(Greek letter 'a' - alpha) |
(Greek letter 'a' - alpha) |
(Chemical symbol for helium) 4 is the nucleon number or mass number (sum of protons and neutrons in the nucleus) 2 is the proton number or atomic number - the charge on the particle |
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(Greek letter 'b' - beta) |
(Greek letter 'b' - beta) |
('e' stands for electron) we have a -1 because its charge is -1 and a zero for mass because it's mass is negligible |
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(Greek letter 'b' - beta) |
(Greek letter 'b' - beta) |
('e' stands for electron) we have a +1 because its charge is +1 and a zero for mass because it's mass is negligible |