Electron Capture
Imagine you're trying to fit too many clothes into a small suitcase, so you decide to take out a bulky sweater to make room. This is like electron capture, where an atom's nucleus "removes" an inner electron to create a more stable configuration. Just as removing the sweater makes more space and balances the suitcase's contents, capturing an electron allows the nucleus to transform into a more stable state by restructuring its internal energy levels.
Practice Version
Electron Capture: A type of decay in which the nucleus of an atom draws in an inner electron. Electron capture. Electron capture is when an atom's nucleus absorbs one of its own electrons, turning a proton into a neutron and releasing a neutrino.