Grade 10 · Science · Chemistry

10th grade Alpha, beta and gamma decay worksheet

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Alpha, beta and gamma decay

Grade 10 Science Worksheet - Challenge Me

NameDate

Circle the best answer, or write your answer on the line.

Uranium with mass number 238 decays through 8 alpha and 6 beta steps to a stable lead isotope. What is lead's mass number, Ari?
Thorium with mass number 232 decays through 6 alpha and 4 beta steps to a stable lead isotope. What is lead's mass number, Bo?
Uranium with mass number 235 decays through 7 alpha and 4 beta steps to a stable lead isotope. What is lead's mass number, Esme?
4.
Uranium-238 (92 protons) passes through 8 alpha and 6 beta decays. What is the final atomic number, Jun?
- 98, californium
- 82, lead
- 70, ytterbium
5.
Which decay changes the element but not the mass number, Kira?
- Beta
- Alpha
- Gamma
6.
Oxygen-15 (8 protons) gives off a positron, charge +1. What forms, Luz?
- Oxygen-14, 8 protons
- Fluorine-15, 9 protons
- Nitrogen-15, 7 protons
7.
Noah says burning wood turns its carbon atoms into a different element. Agree or disagree?
- Disagree: burning only rearranges atoms
- Agree: carbon turns into oxygen
- Agree: carbon changes, as in decay
8.
Ionization smoke detectors use americium-241. What does it give off, Ren?
- Alpha particles
- Neutrons
- Beta particles
9.
Technetium-99m is a medical tracer for scans. What does it give off that a camera detects, Tala?
- Helium gas
- Alpha particles
- Gamma rays
10.
Carbon-14, used for dating, decays by which type of emission, Zee?
- Alpha
- Beta
- Gamma alone

Alpha, beta and gamma decay. Every version has 10 questions, and the answer key prints on the second page.

I can describe alpha (helium-4 nucleus), beta (electron) and gamma (energy) emissions.
I can apply the rules: alpha −4 and −2, beta +1 atomic number, gamma no change.
I can balance nuclear equations and follow a decay series.
I can tell a nuclear change (the nucleus changes) from a chemical change (bonds change).

Standard: HS-PS1-8

alpha particle: A helium-4 nucleus: 2 protons, 2 neutrons

beta particle: A fast electron made when a neutron becomes a proton

gamma ray: High-energy light from a nucleus

mass number: Protons + neutrons

atomic number: Protons; it names the element

Your child took away 2, the alpha particle's protons. An alpha particle has 4 nucleons (2 protons and 2 neutrons), so the mass number drops by 4.

Your child lowered the atomic number. In beta decay a neutron becomes a proton, so the atomic number goes up by 1.

Your child took mass away for the beta decays. A beta decay leaves the mass number the same; only alpha decays lower it, by 4 each.

What is the most common mistake with alpha, beta and gamma decay?

Your child took away 2, the alpha particle's protons. An alpha particle has 4 nucleons (2 protons and 2 neutrons), so the mass number drops by 4.

Are these 10th grade science worksheets free to print?

Yes. All 6 printable versions at each level are free to print, with the answer key, and no account is needed.

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