Physics Nuclear Physics MDCAT 2017
PMDC Verified Question 59 of 98
Complete the radioactive equation $$ _{Z}^{A}\text{X} \rightarrow \text{Y} + \gamma $$
A
\( _{Z-2}^{A-4}\text{Y} \)
B
\( _{Z+1}^{A}\text{Y} \)
C
\( _{Z-1}^{A}\text{Y} \)
D
\( _{Z}^{A}\text{Y} \)
Tap any option to test your recall and reveal the step-by-step Propolis autopsy.

Propolis Cognitive Error Autopsy

Official Correct Choice:
Option D: \( _{Z}^{A}\text{Y} \)


Concept:

Gamma (\(\gamma\)) radiation is the emission of a massless, uncharged high-energy photon.

Solution:

  • Because a photon has a mass number (\(A\)) of 0 and a charge number (\(Z\)) of 0, emitting it does not remove any protons or neutrons from the nucleus.


  • The parent nucleus \(_{Z}^{A}\text{X}\) transitions to a lower energy state but retains its identity.


  • Therefore, the daughter nucleus Y remains identical in nucleon composition: \(_{Z}^{A}\text{Y}\).


Why other options are incorrect:

Option A shows alpha decay. Option B shows beta minus decay. Option C shows beta plus decay or electron capture.

Quality & Fidelity Assurance: Every question on BeambePrep is rigorously curated against the official PMDC syllabus with zero filler, zero out-of-syllabus content, and zero typos. When an authentic past paper originally contained a historical mistake or ambiguity from the examining board (such as UHS or NUMS), BeambePrep faithfully reflects the original paper while detailing the nuance and scientific consensus in the autopsy above.

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