Radioactive Decay (Disintegration) is the spontaneous transformation of one nuclide into a different nuclide or into a different energy state of the same nuclide. The process results in a decrease, with time, of the number of the original radioactive atoms in a sample. It involves the emission from the nucleus of alpha particles, beta particles (or electrons), or gamma rays; or the nuclear capture or ejection of orbiting electrons; or fission.
Related Definitions in the Project: The Property and Unit
