4 ms·
> A second mechanism, radiolysis, may generate the rest. As radioactive elements in the crust such as uranium and thorium decay, they emit beta particles, aka h
by fock 4y ago
> A second mechanism, radiolysis, may generate the rest. As radioactive elements in the crust such as uranium and thorium decay, they emit beta particles, aka helium nuclei,
What is this? Chat-GPT writing "sciency" fairytales?
- hn_throwaway_99 4y agoSeems a bit harsh. Uranium decays by both alpha and beta decay, so assuming the author just meant alpha particles in the quoted sentence.
- fock 4y agohttps://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpha_particle https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpha_particle well ...
- hn_throwaway_99 4y agoI don't understand your "well..." Yes, exactly my point, alpha particles are helium nuclei, so I'm assuming that's what the author meant and simply made a mistake highlighting the beta decay of uranium instead of the alpha particles it emits.
- fock 4y agowhere exactly does the electron catch the proton?
- taneq 4y agoOff-by-one errors are notoriously difficult to avoid, after all ;)