Problem 6.238

Find the energy $Q$ liberated in $\beta$ - - and $\beta^{+}$ -decays and in $K$ -capture if the masses of the parent atom $M_{p},$ the daughter atom $M_{d}$ and an electron $m$ are known.

Reveal Answer

Q=\left\{\begin{array}{l} \left(M_{p}-M_{d}\right) c^{2} \text { for } \beta^{-} \text {decay and } K \text { -capture, } \\ \left(M_{p}-M_{d}-2 m\right) c^{2} \text { for } \beta^{+} \text {decay } \end{array}\right.

Radioactivity