HOW STUFF WORKS: ; Radioactive americium controls smoke detectorsMarshall Brain
Americium-241, a radioactive element best known for its use in smoke detectors, is a good example of an element that undergoes alpha decay. An americium-241 atom will spontaneously throw off an alpha particle. An alpha particle is made up of two protons and two neutrons bound together, whic...
Americium-241, a radioactive element best known for its use in smoke detectors, is a good example of an element that undergoes alpha decay. An americium-241 atom will spontaneously throw off an alpha particle. An alpha particle is made up of two protons and two neutrons bound together, whic...
How does americium-241 work in smoke detectors? How does an argon laser work? How do pendulum waves work? How do tunable lasers work? How does a Van de Graaff generator work? How do longitudinal sound waves work? How do power interference waves work? How does a chemical laser work? How...
Americium-241, a radioactive element best known for its use in smoke detectors, is a good example of an element that undergoes alpha decay. An americium-241 atom will spontaneously throw off an alpha particle. An alpha particle is made up of two protons and two neutrons bound together, whic...