Radium decomposes radioactively

[EsKiMoMoNKeY]

Radium decomposes radioactively to form radon (atomic number 86, which is also the number of protons in the nucleus) by emitting an alpha-particle from its nucleus.

The mass of an alpha-particle is 6.6404 x 10^-24 grams.

What is the force of repulsion between the radon nucleus and the alpha-particle, when the distance between them is 5 x 10^-11 cm?

What is the acceleration of the alpha-particle at this distance?

I am not sure what equation I need to use to solve this equation.

Any help would be appreciated!

 

[phyzguy]

Try looking up Coulomb's law.

 

[EsKiMoMoNKeY]

Coulomb's law is F = k x ((force1 x force2)/r^2)

Where k is 8.99 x 10^9

and r = distance between them which is 5 x 10^-11

I do not know how to get the force of each particle.

Some more help would be appreciated!

 

[phyzguy]

Coulomb's law is F = k x ((force1 x force2)/r^2)

Where k is 8.99 x 10^9

and r = distance between them which is 5 x 10^-11

I do not know how to get the force of each particle.

Some more help would be appreciated!

No, that's not Coulomb's law. Coulombs law is
Force = k x ((charge1 x charge2)/r^2)

 

[EsKiMoMoNKeY]

So i do not know what the alpha-particles charge is, but i can look up radon's charge right?

EDIT
So the alpha-particle's charge is the opposite of what radium loses?

 

[phyzguy]

Do you know what an alpha particle is? You should be able to look up its charge also.

 

[EsKiMoMoNKeY]

The entire question was in my first post. The difference between radium to radon is 88 -> 86 so would charge 1 be 2 and charge 2 be -2?

 

[phyzguy]

No. You should know or be able to find:

(1) What is the charge on a Radon nucleus?
(2) What is an alpha particle and what is its charge?