| Term | Definition |
|---|
| radiation | high- energy rays and particles emitted by radioactive sources |
| radioactive decay | the process in which the nuclei of radioactive parent isotopes emit alpha, beta, or gamma radiation to form decay products |
| isotopes | different atoms of a particular element that have the same number of protons but a different number of netrons |
| gamma radiation | rays of high-energy short-wavelength radiation emitted from the nuclei of atoms |
| beta particle | a high speed electron; emitted by a radioactive nucleus in beta decay |
| alpha particle | a positively charged atomic particle that is much more massive than either a beta particle or gamma radiation and is relatively slow moving; has same combination of particles as the nucleus of a helium atom |
| mass number | the total number of protons and neutrons found in the nucleus of an atom |
| parent isotope | the isotope that undergoes radioactive decay |
| daughter product / isotope | the stable product of radioactive decay |
| decay curve | a curved line on a graph that shows the rate at which radioisotopes decay |
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