Nuclear Decay Simulation Documentation

written by copilot because I was too lazy

This script provides a simulation of nuclear decay processes for various isotopes, primarily focusing on elements from Mercury (Z=80) to Einsteinium (Z=99).

Data Structure

The script uses an array of atom objects with the following properties:

• atomName: String - Official name of the element
• pCount: Number - Number of protons (atomic number)
• atomIsotopes: Array of objects containing:
  • nucleodeCount: Number - Total nucleons (protons + neutrons)
  • decayType: Array - Possible decay types
  • natural: Boolean - Whether isotope occurs naturally

Supported Decay Types

• a (Alpha decay): Loss of He-4 nucleus (p -= 2, n -= 4)
• b- (Beta minus): Neutron → proton conversion (p += 1, n -= 1)
• b+ (Beta plus): Proton → neutron conversion (p -= 1, n += 1)
• e (Electron capture): Similar to b+, with gamma emission

Core Functions

Simulating decay reactions

decayReaction(protons, nucleons, type, log)

Simulates a decay reaction for a given isotope and decay type.

• Returns: String (success or failure message)

Safety nets for various common mistakes

decayCheck(type, protonCount, nucleodeAmount)

Verifies if a specific decay type is possible for an isotope.

• Returns: Boolean

isotopeCheck(protonCount, nucleodeAmount)

Validates existence of an isotope in the database.

• Returns: Boolean

Usage Example

// Simulate beta minus decay of Thorium-233 and generates logs for it
decayReaction(90, 233, "b-", true)

// Check if an isotope exists
isotopeCheck(92, 235) // true for U-235

// Get isotope name
isotopeName(92, 235) // "uranium-235"