Radioactive Decay

Real World Example

Imagine you're trying to clean out an overstuffed closet, where things keep falling out every time you open the door. Much like how that closet can't stay closed without releasing some items, an unstable atomic nucleus can't remain intact without releasing particles and energy. Just like those items need to fall out for the closet to become more stable, radioactive decay involves the nucleus shedding particles to become a more stable form, with the items being analogous to the particles and energy emitted during the process.