Question:
A. Engineer A: "When the sample alpha decays, it will give off alpha particles. These will
trigger a photosensor (a device that senses forms of light) that will open the lock."
B. Engineer B: "When the sample alpha decays, it only releases large amounts of heat.
This will trigger a thermometer that will open the lock."
C. Engineer C: "When the sample alpha decays, it will lose mass, This will trigger a scale
that will open the lock."
D. Engineer D: "When the sample alpha decays, it will give off negatively charged alpha
particles. Because alpha particles are electrons, they will complete a circuit that will
open the lock."
Answer:
The correct option is;
A. Engineer A: "When the sample alpha decays, it will give off alpha particles. These will trigger a photosensor ( a device that senses forms of light) that will open the lock"
Explanation:
Here, we note that in alpha decay (α-decay) there is an emission of an alpha particle or helium nucleus with the transformation of the parent element nucleus into that of a different element, having reduced mass and atomic numbers
Alpha particles are a form of ionizing radiation with a mass of 6.64 × 10⁻²⁷ kg and therefore they can be sensed by a photo sensor but will be slowly sensed by a scale.
