31.4 Exercise 35

In the following four problems, identify the parent nuclide and write the complete decay equation in the $_{Z}^{A} X_{N}$ notation. Refer to the periodic table for values of $Z$.

(a) Calculate the energy released in the $\alpha$ decay of $^{\text{238}} \text{U}$.

(b) What fraction of the mass of a single $^{\text{238}} \text{U}$ is destroyed in the decay? The mass of $^{\text{234}} \text{Th}$ is 234.043593 u.

(c) Although the fractional mass loss is large for a single nucleus, it is difficult to observe for an entire macroscopic sample of uranium. Why is this?