An alpha particle is equivalent to which nucleus?

An alpha particle is equivalent to which nucleus?

• A. Hydrogen-1 Nucleus
• B. Helium-3 Nucleus
• C. Neon Nucleus
• D. Helium-4 Nucleus

Answer: (D)

An alpha particle is the helium-4 nucleus, made up of two protons and two neutrons. It has a mass number of 4 and a charge of +2. In alpha decay, the emitted particle is exactly this helium-4 nucleus, so it is equivalent to Helium-4 nucleus. The other options don’t match this composition: hydrogen-1 is just a single proton, helium-3 has two protons and one neutron, and a neon nucleus contains many more nucleons.

An alpha particle is the helium-4 nucleus, made up of two protons and two neutrons. It has a mass number of 4 and a charge of +2. In alpha decay, the emitted particle is exactly this helium-4 nucleus, so it is equivalent to Helium-4 nucleus. The other options don’t match this composition: hydrogen-1 is just a single proton, helium-3 has two protons and one neutron, and a neon nucleus contains many more nucleons.