ALPHA PARTICLE Definition & Meaning

alpha particle

noun

Physics.

a positively charged particle consisting of two protons and two neutrons, emitted in radioactive decay or nuclear fission; the nucleus of a helium atom.

alpha particle

noun

a helium-4 nucleus, containing two neutrons and two protons, emitted during some radioactive transformations

alpha particle

A positively charged particle that consists of two protons and two neutrons bound together. It is emitted by an atomic nucleus undergoing radioactive decay and is identical to the nucleus of a helium atom. Because of their relatively large mass, alpha particles are the slowest and least penetrating forms of nuclear radiation. They can be stopped by a piece of paper.
See more at radioactive decay

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51�Թ� History and Origins

Origin of alpha particle¹

First recorded in 1900–05

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

The experiment involved bombarding a thin sheet of gold foil with alpha particles, and earned Rutherford, from Bridgewater on New Zealand's South Island, the moniker the "father of nuclear physics".

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It took 23 measurements with an instrument called an alpha particle X-ray spectrometer.

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But without a spin, researchers of the Physics Review D paper suggest feeding the tiny black hole with charged alpha particles.

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She'd already begun to establish her reputation as a physicist, working on alpha particle scattering.

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Well before the pandemic, there were alpha particles and gamma rays.

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alphanumeric alpha privative

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