What is Alpha Decay?
Alpha decay is a form of radioactive decay in which an alpha particle is emitted by a heavy element in an attempt to become more stable. The other types of radioactive decay are beta decay and gamma decay. Particle detectors can be used to detect the emission of alpha particles, and the process of alpha decay can also be used to build detection devices. Some fire detectors, for example, rely on the steady rate of alpha decay to ionize air, which can in turn detect smoke when smoke particles interfere with the conductivity of the ionized air. The components of a nucleus consist of protons and neutrons orbited by a group of electrons. Under normal conditions, these particles would oppose each other, causing the nucleus to fall apart, which is where something known as the strong nuclear force comes in. The strong nuclear force keeps the nucleus together, preventing particles from being forced out. However, although this force is strong, it has a narrow range, and in the case of a large nu
