Radioactivity
Radioactivity is the emission of radiation by unstable nuclei. That radiation may exist in the form of subatomic particles (primarily alpha and beta particles) or in the form of energy (primarily gamma rays).
Radioactivity was discovered accidentally in 1896 by French physicist Henri Becquerel (1852–1908). In the decades that followed Becquerel's discovery, research on radioactivity produced revolutionary breakthroughs in our understanding of the nature of matter and led to a number of important practical applications. These applications include a host of new devices and techniques ranging from nuclear weapons and nuclear power plants to medical...
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