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JAMB Physics 2010 Question 46

Question 46

Radioactivity and Nuclear Physics

The radioisotope 23592U decays by emitting two alpha particles, three beta particles and a gamma ray. What is the mass and atomic numbers of the resulting daughter element?

  1. A.91 and 227
  2. B.92 and 238
  3. C.227 and 91
  4. D.215 and 88.
Show the answer and explanation

Answer: C (227 and 91)

Explanation

Two alphas remove 8 from the mass number and 4 from the atomic number; three betas add 3 to the atomic number; gamma changes neither. Mass number = 235 − 8 = 227, atomic number = 92 − 4 + 3 = 91.