Neutrons are neutrally charged subatomic particles found in the nucleus of an atom along with the positively charged protons. Together, protons and neutrons contribute equally to the mass number of the atom. Answer and Explanation:1 Become a Study.com member to unlock this answer!Create you...
Plutonium generally isn't found in nature. Trace elements of plutonium are foundin naturally occurring uranium ores. Here, it is formed in a way similar to neptunium: by irradiation of natural uranium with neutrons followed by beta decay. Primarily, however, plutonium is a byproduct of the n...
Gamma rays and neutrons are much more dangerous following a nuclear explosion. Neutrons are heavier than electrons, and when they break off of atoms from nuclear fuel, such as uranium or plutonium, act like extremely small "missiles" and can easily penetrate matter. Gamma rays are photons, very...
Plutonium will not start a fast chain reaction by itself, but this problem is overcome by having a neutron source or highly radioactive material that gives off neutrons faster than the plutonium itself. In certain types of bombs, a mixture of the elements Beryllium and Polonium is used to bri...
These particles, made up of protons and neutrons, are large and can only travel a short distance -- in fact, they can be stopped with just a piece of paper or even your skin. However, inhalation or ingestion of alpha particles can be very dangerous. Once inside your body, alpha ...
Neutron-heavy U-238 has a role to play in the atomic bomb as well since its neutron-heavy atoms can deflect stray neutrons, preventing an accidental chain reaction in a uranium bomb and keeping neutrons contained in a plutonium bomb. U-238 can also be "saturated" to produce plutonium (Pu...
Add a drop of glue to each bead to hold it in place. Seal the cut in each craft ring by positioning a bead (electron) over the cut when gluing it. The Nucleus Select two colors of small pom-poms to represent protons and neutrons. Designate one color to each. ...
Radiological Contaminants.Radiologicals are chemical elements with an unbalanced number of protons and neutrons, which makes them unstable atoms that emit radiation. Examples of these include uranium, plutonium, and cesium. Wonderlane, via Flickr Creative Commons License. ...
neutrons, and the nuclei are stable. For heavier elements such as uranium and plutonium, there are many more neutrons than protons, and the nuclei of those elements are extremely unstable. In fact, all elements that have more than 83 protons are unstable. The three types of radioactive decay...
or the U-238 will bounce the neutrons back into the U-235 and ensure that they fission. As long as you have a critical mass of fissionable U-235 in the reactor core, spontaneous fission will result. It doesn't matter how close together the atoms are. If they're too close together,...