All stars are born through the same basic mechanism but their evolution depends on their size. In particular, all stars go through a hydrogen-fuel stage but the time spent fusing hydrogen is determined by the star's initial mass. The final fate of a star is also predicted by its mass; some stars will simply fade … Continue reading The formation, life and death of stars
Beta Decay Q-value
At GCSE level, beta decay is said to be the emission of an electron (or positron, in beta-plus decay) when an unstable nucleus transforms into a more stable nucleus. The parent and daughter nuclei are different elements with the same nucleon number (sum of neutrons and protons) but their proton numbers vary by +1 for … Continue reading Beta Decay Q-value
