I find this song very helpful, especially to the radiologic technology students, which will help them easily understand and memorize the various radioactive decays. RadTech educators’ burden may also ease up when teaching this topic in radiologic physics.

The lyrics of this song is posted below. Actually, I can’t find the exact lyrics of this one so I listened to it over and over again while jotting down the words. If you think there might be corrections, feel free to put it on the comment section. I would really appreciate it.

For the meantime, enjoy!

The nucleus of an atom is filled with lots of stuff

There’s protons and there’s neutrons that’s really quite enough

But sometimes an atom has too much quantities

And lets the decay particles, guided like a thief


It’s decay, natural decay, hooray!2x


Some nuclides spew out

What looks like helium

It’s an alpha particle

Made by uranium


Its nuclear notation it is 4 2 He

And it is really dangerous

Causes burns to you and me

It’s decay, alpha decay, hooray!

It’s decay, natural decay, hooray!


Nuclide like C-14 give a little bit of this

It’s a beta particle and electron if you please

It can travel fast but it don’t take much a stop

Turns a neutron into a proton watch the Geiger counter hop


It’s decay, beta decay, hooray!

It’s decay, natural decay, hooray!


Isotopes of potassium emit a positron

Its called beta positive don’t know whose side he’s on

A proton becomes a neutron the mass remains the same

And that is how the positron plays the nuclear game


It’s decay, positron decay, hooray!

It’s decay, natural decay, hooray!


When a nucleus emits a new piece

It can also give off gamma when instability is ease

Goes with the speed of light ‘coz that’s really what it is

And it has no mass or charge

Only lead can stop its pace

I

It’s decay, ends off gamma rays, hooray!

It’s decay, natural decay, hooray!