A radioactive nucleus undergoes a series of decay process represented by the scheme below: $ A(\alph

Question

A radioactive nucleus undergoes a series of decay process represented by the scheme below: $ A(\alpha-	ext { decay }) ightarrow A_1(\beta-	ext { decay }) ightarrow A_2(\alpha-	ext { decay }) ightarrow A_3(\gamma-	ext { decay }) ightarrow A_4 $ If the mass number and atomic number of $A$ are 180 and 72 respectively, then what are these numbers for $A_4$ ?

Professor PC Thomas Classes · Answer

Net change: $2\alpha$ decays, $1\beta$ decay, $1\gamma$ decay. Mass changes by $-8$, Atomic number by $-4 + 1 = -3$. Result: $180-8=172$, $72-3=69$.