Skip to main content

Gamma Emission Changes Neither Mass Nor Atomic Number

This video presents the same text shown beside it, spoken and on screen. It adds nothing the text does not say.

State

Gamma emission releases a high-energy photon as an excited nucleus relaxes to a lower energy state, changing neither mass number nor atomic number.

Show

Cobalt-60 emits gamma radiation as its excited nucleus settles to its ground state, remaining cobalt-60 throughout.

Watch for

Gamma emission alone never transmutes one element into another — it often accompanies alpha or beta decay, but alone changes only energy state.