How Does Spontaneous Decay Relate to Newton's First Law?

AI Thread Summary
Spontaneous decay in heavy elements, such as alpha decay and gamma emission, occurs without external forces acting on the nucleus, raising questions about its relation to Newton's first law of motion. Newton's first law states that a body remains in its state of rest or uniform motion unless acted upon by an external force. However, during decay, internal forces within the nucleus lead to the emission of particles, resulting in the particle's ejection and the recoil of the remaining nucleus. This suggests that while external forces are not required for decay, internal forces play a crucial role in the process. The discussion highlights the complexity of applying classical mechanics to nuclear phenomena.
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Homework Statement



Newton's first law of motion deals with inertia of bodies. According to this law, " Every body continues in its state of rest or of uniform motion in straight line, unless compelled by an external force."

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The Attempt at a Solution


My question is , " How spontaneous decay occurs in heavy elements resulting in alpha, decay and gamma emission, without any external force acting on it"?


 
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The first law says that a body continues in its state of motion unless acted on by a force. In this case, there are two bodies: the particle and the body that the particle was previously attached to. There are forces that arise when a decay event occurs. The forces cause the particle to fly away at great speed and the body to which it was previously attached recoil.

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