Alpha decay
What is Alpha decay?
There is a large atom that is not stable because there are so many protons in the nucleus. All of the protons repel so the nucleus splits into an alpha particle and a new atom.
What is the alpha particle?
The alpha particle is a helium atom with an atomic mass of 4 and an atomic number of 2:
What properties of the atom change?
The atomic mass of the atom decreases by 4.
The atomic number decreases by 2.
The atomic number decreases by 2.