What type of radioactive emission leads to a decrease in the activity of a sample?

In the context of radioactive emissions, each type—gamma radiation, beta radiation, and alpha radiation—results in the decay of radioactive isotopes, which in turn leads to a decrease in the activity of a sample.

When a radioactive atom emits alpha particles, it loses two protons and two neutrons, resulting in a new element that has a lower atomic number. This process contributes to the reduction of the activity because the original radioactive substance is transformed into a different, often more stable isotope.

Beta radiation involves the emission of beta particles, which can be electrons or positrons. During beta decay, a neutron is converted into a proton (or vice versa), also leading to the formation of a new element. As the radioactive isotopes decay and transform into non-radioactive products or different isotopes, the overall activity of the sample decreases.

Gamma radiation, while being high-energy electromagnetic radiation, often accompanies alpha and beta decay but does not itself cause a change in the atomic number or mass of the emitting nucleus. However, the overall activity of the sample decreases as the associated decay processes are occurring.

Since all three emission types—alpha, beta, and gamma—are linked to the decay of unstable isotopes and contribute to the diminishing radioactivity in a