In beta-plus (${\beta }^{+}$) decay, a proton decays into three other particles. Write a nuclear equation for this process.

An environmental monitoring officer is analyzing a hazardous sample retrieved from an industrial site. The sample is suspected to contain a mixture of three distinct radionuclides emitting alpha ($\alpha$) particles, beta-plus (${\beta }^{+}$) particles, and gamma ($\gamma$) rays.

The officer has access to the following equipment:

• a selection of materials with different thicknesses (including sheets of thin cardboard, aluminium plates of about 5 mm, and thick lead blocks)
• a pair of parallel metal plates connected to a high-voltage power supply (creating a strong, uniform electric field)
• a radiation detector (GM tube and counter).

Explain how the officer can use this equipment to safely determine and distinguish the presence of all three types of radiation in the emitted mixture.

Draw on this