Question

the curiosity rover sent to explore the surface of mars has an electric generator powered by heat from the radioactive decay of 238pu, a plutonium isotope that decays by alpha emission with a half-life of 88 years. at the start of the mission, the generator contained 9.6×1024 nuclei of 238pu.

Answer 1

An element can be identified by its unique atomic number. When we look in the periodic table, we find that the element with an atomic number of 9292 is uranium. There is only option containing uranium which also confirms the mass number we found. So, the daughter nucleus of the decay is 234^U.

In an alpha decay, a positively charged particle similar to a helium-4 nucleus gets released from the parent nucleus spontaneously. As the composition suggests, an alpha particle consists of two protons and 2 neutrons. The particle does not travel much, but in short range, it carries the most energy.

It's smart to use the thermal energy provided by the radioactive decay to generate electricity. This allows for a stable supply of power without consuming much space which means the saved space can be used for more scientific equipment.  The alpha particle, structurally equivalent to the nucleus of a helium atom.

Learn more about nucleus here:

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