What is the resulting nucleus called after radioactive decay?

What is the resulting nucleus called after radioactive decay?

• A. Daughter Nucleus
• B. Parent Nucleus
• C. Isotope
• D. Nucleon

Answer: (A)

In radioactive decay, the original unstable nucleus is the parent, and the nucleus that remains after the decay is the daughter nucleus. This naming helps describe decay chains: the parent transforms into a different nucleus—the daughter. For example, in alpha decay a heavy nucleus like uranium-238 becomes thorium-234; thorium-234 is the daughter nucleus. Isotopes would refer to nuclides of the same element with different neutron counts, which isn’t what the product after decay usually is since the element can change. A nucleon is a single proton or neutron, not the product nucleus. So the resulting nucleus is called the daughter nucleus.

In radioactive decay, the original unstable nucleus is the parent, and the nucleus that remains after the decay is the daughter nucleus. This naming helps describe decay chains: the parent transforms into a different nucleus—the daughter. For example, in alpha decay a heavy nucleus like uranium-238 becomes thorium-234; thorium-234 is the daughter nucleus. Isotopes would refer to nuclides of the same element with different neutron counts, which isn’t what the product after decay usually is since the element can change. A nucleon is a single proton or neutron, not the product nucleus. So the resulting nucleus is called the daughter nucleus.