8. Radioactive Decay — Modes, Energetics, and Trends

MIT 22.01 Introduction to Nuclear Engineering and Ionizing Radiation, Fall 2016
Instructor: Michael Short

Today we formally define the various modes of radioactive decay and confirm their energetics with the Table of Nuclides. We also construct decay diagrams from scratch to aid in interpreting those on the Table of Nuclides for quick reference. Notable reactions, such as alpha decay powering smoke detectors and beta decay resulting from carbon-14, are introduced.

License: Creative Commons BY-NC-SA

[ShanetheTutor]

This is my favorite MIT OpenCourseWare series. Great instructor!

[Nellsus]

Great lecture as always!
I'd just like to point out that only charged particles can produce Cherenkov radiation, so it is the muons and electrons created by neutrino interaction that generates the Cherenkov radiation, and not the neutrinos themselves.

[pMarco]

The very final sketch is definitely something. The guy never disappoints, and so his great lectures.

[CenTexTom]

Another excellent lecture by Dr. Short, very Interesting...this is definitely taking Chemistry, Mathematics and Physics to the next level and as Loverboy would say "I'm loving every minute of it"

[jacobjohn]

48:20 had a huge laugh. Awesome lecture.

[TheMadScientistOfLuton]

I have high functioning Asperger's syndrome, and I watch these videos because it's calming and fun. I know I'm an alien lol

[davidwright]

There is an error in this lecture. Neutrinos do not produce Cherenkov light, even at speeds above the speed of light in a medium, because they do not interact electromagnetically. (Also, if they did, neutrino detectors would be drowning in events, because oodles of neutrinos cross them every second.) Cherenkov rings are only produced in the rare case that a weak interaction converts a neutrino to an electron, which then produces detectable Cherenkov light.

[krheadset]

3:26 though XDd that eye move was just so cutie

[BringJoyNow]

48:20 Not the first time I heard of, surely not the last time I laugh about the correct answer

[MeriaDuck]

Love the 'approximately exactly'

[lucashuss]

fantastic video, Does anyone have an answer to the number of antineutrinos vs energy question, I believe that as T -> Q the number of antineutrinos would obviously decrease to 0, maybe its an inverse linear relation between T and # of anti neutrinos?

[matthewbartsh]

3:53 He says, "They are kind of indistinguishable." What kind of work does "kind of" do here? Are they, strictly speaking, distinguishable?

[andrewmaxfield]

my man loves his (zirconium?) rod. And I fuckin love his teachings. Grateful to be able to listen to this. this is amazing!

[VeteranVandal]

Eat the gamma, put the alpha in the pocket, beta arms length away and give the "friend" the neutrons.

[iuliannita]

lesson 9 is missiong from youtube...please add it... tks

[l.gagnon]

Thank you for your wonderful lectures! There is something that I don’t understand: the main beta decay for Co60 shows 317kV. This is less than the mass of the electron(511kV). How do you explain this?

[Ikbeneengeit]

Another great lecture, thanks. Why do we see some specific decay types more than others? E.g. why is proton emission is much rarer than alpha decay?

[rishiravi]

Thanks for your teaching sir please addsome information about nuclear physics

[oussamamounouar]

Aren't Beta particles supposed to have a -1 to count for the charge, and that goes for B+ as well with a +1. I know it's obvious but still, it bugged me on that board. Hope someone from 2022 is watching.

[matthewbartsh]

4:09 He says, "an electron, with no mass". There is no such thing as an electron with no mass. Two errors already. And not one of the students put his hand up and asked about it. So much for MIT. I heard that being woke is the main goal there.