PHYS 199M Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Lorentz Force, Cathode Ray Tube, Gamma Ray

• School: University of Maryland
• Department: Physics
• Course: PHYS 199M
• Professor: Johnpierre Paglione

Document Summary

Loses 2 protons and 2 neutrons: beta decay. Total number of nucleons stay the same: gamma decay. A high energy atom kicks off a gamma wave. Nothing about the structure of the atom is changed. The shorter the half-life, the larger the rate of change: intensity is the number of decays per time and number is the number in a big sample. With one atom, it may or may not decay. It"s random: the half-life gives the probability of a decay in the time interval. In one half-life, a given nucleus has a 50% change of decaying and a 50% change of surviving. The probability of one atom decaying is the same every half-life. Just like the outcome of roulette doesn"t change with the previous turn. J. j. thompson: cavendish professor and director of cavendish lab in cambridge. Started at age 28: discovered the electron in 1897.