Nuclear energy

1. occurs when the fuel in a reactor melts and the radiation leaks out of the reactor
4. a radioactive isotope whose pathway can be traced through the body
8. electromagnetic wave with the shortest wavelength and highest frequency released
9. a nucleus that naturally decays and falls apart
12. natural transmutation
14. the exposure of foods to radiation in order to kill harmful bacteria
15. electron or a positron released from a nucleus during beta decay
16. method used to determine the age of things of organic origin by measuring the radioactivity of their carbon-14 content

2. a continuous series of nuclear fission reaction
3. particles released during radioactivity decay
5. a particle with two protons and two neutrons released during beta decay
6. a nucleus that does not decay and fall apart
7. minimum amount of isotope needed to sustain a chain reaction
10. the ability of some elements to give off nuclear radiation as a result of a change in atoms nucleus
11. process of change with an atoms nucleus that produces a different element
13. the time it take for one half of the atoms of an isotope in a given sample to decay into atoms of another atoms