question 15

Marked out of 1.00 F. Flag question Select from below the three statements that are true. A few of the heavier elements have nuclei that will undergo spontaneous fission. Fission is the process whereby a nucleus splits into two roughly equal halves plus a small number of free neutrons. The ability of radiation, such as alpha, beta and gamma particles, to penetrate matter (including skin) increases with the mass of the relevant particle. For this reason alpha particles are more penetrating than beta particles and beta particles more penetrating than gamma particles. Fission generally occurs in smaller nuclei with fewer protons and neutrons. An alpha particle consists of two protons and two neutrons, a beta particle consists of energetic electrons or positrons, and a gamma particle consists of a high energy photon. Fission products generally lie in the valley of stability and so do not undergo further radioactive decay