Decay energy
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The decay energy is the energy released by a nuclear decay.
The energy difference of the reactants is often written as Q:
where Q = (rest mass)after *c2 - (rest mass)before * c2 or Q = (kinetic energy)After - (kinetic energy)before.
Decay energy is usually quoted in terms of the energy units MeV (million electronvolts) or KeV (thousand electronvolts).
Types of radioactive decay include
gamma ray beta decay (decay energy is divided between the emitted electron and the invisible neutrino which is emitted at the same time) alpha decay
[edit] References
Radioactivity Radionuclides Radiation by Joseph Magill and Jean Galy, Springer Verlag, 2005
[edit] External links
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