Question 1

What evidence supports the contention that the strong nuclear force is stronger than the electrical interaction at short inter-nuclear distances?

Accepted Answer

A)  Protons are able to exist side-by-side within an atomic nucleus.
B)  Neutrons spontaneously decay into protons and electrons.
C)  Uranium deposits are always slightly warmer than their immediate surroundings.
D)  The radio interference that arises adjacent to any radioactive source.

Question 2

Why are smaller nuclei such as carbon-14 often radioactive? (carbon-12 is the most common and most stable form of carbon.)

Accepted Answer

A)  The attractive force of the nucleons has a limited range.
B)  The isolated neutron is not stable and will undergo spontaneous transformation into a proton and an electron.
C)  Hmmm...mysterious are the ways of the force.
D)  both A and B
E)  none of the above

Question 3

Which process would release energy from gold,fission or fusion? From carbon?

Accepted Answer

A)  gold: fission; carbon: fusion
B)  gold: fusion; carbon: fission
C)  gold: fission; carbon: fission
D)  gold: fusion; carbon: fusion

Question 4

If a nucleus of  23290\begin{array} { c } 232\90\end{array}23290​  Th absorbs a neutron and the resulting nucleus undergoes two successive beta decays (emitting electrons) ,what nucleus results?

Accepted Answer

A)  Americium-232
B)  Plutonium-232
C)  Thorium-233
D)  Uranium-233

Question 5

Which of the following emits more radiation?

Accepted Answer

A)  a coal-fired power plant
B)  a nuclear power plant
C)  fallout from nuclear tests in the '50s and '60s
D)  a television set
E)  a computer monitor

Question 6

The image below shows a beam of radiation passing between two electrically charged plates. 
-Which of the beams is actually composed of particles?

Accepted Answer

A)  a
B)  b
C)  c
D)  a and c
E)  all of the above

Question 7

Alpha and beta rays are deflected in opposite directions in a magnetic field because

Accepted Answer

A)  they have opposite charges.
B)  they spin in opposite directions.
C)  alpha particles contain nucleons and beta particles do not.
D)  all of the above

Question 8

If three samples have the half-lives listed below,which sample would remain radioactive the longest?

Accepted Answer

A)  a sample with a half-life of 20 minutes
B)  a sample with a half-life of 20 hours
C)  a sample with a half-life of 20 years
D)  a sample with a half-life of 20 million years
E)  none of the above

Question 9

The alpha particle has twice the electric charge of the beta particle but deflects less than the beta in a magnetic field because it

Accepted Answer

A)  moves much slower.
B)  moves much faster.
C)  has much more inertia.
D)  has much less inertia.

Question 10

What are some of the optimistic worldwide changes that may follow the advent of successful fusion reactors?

Accepted Answer

A)  Economies will be geared to relative abundance rather than scarcity.
B)  Humans will have more opportunities to focus on social issues,such as world hunger.
C)  There will be fewer hostilities between nations.
D)  all of the above

Question 11

To predict the approximate energy release of either a fission or a fusion reaction,explain how a physicist uses a table of nuclear masses and the equation E = m  c2c ^ { 2 }c2  .

Accepted Answer

A)  find the change in mass and divided by the speed of light squared
B)  find the change in mass and multiply by the speed of light squared
C)  find the change in mass,square it,and multiply by the speed of light
D)  take the square root of the change in mass and multiply by the speed of light

Question 12

Why does plutonium not occur in appreciable amounts in natural ore deposits?

Accepted Answer

A)  Most naturally occurring plutonium deposits have already been depleted in the creation of nuclear weapons.
B)  Plutonium is strictly a human-made element.
C)  Any plutonium initially in the earth's crust has long since decayed.
D)  Plutonium loses electrons to form positively charged particles that have long since washed into the oceans.

Question 13

If uranium were to split into three segments of equal size instead of two,would more energy or less energy be released?

Accepted Answer

A)  Less energy would be released because of less mass per nucleon.
B)  Less energy would be released because of more mass per nucleon.
C)  More energy would be released because of less mass per nucleon.
D)  More energy would be released because of more mass per nucleon.

Question 14

What is the main technical difficulty in dealing with fusion reactions?

Accepted Answer

A)  The amount of energy needed to overcome the electrical repulsion of the reactants is extremely high.
B)  The reactants are highly toxic and extremely radioactive.
C)  The mass of the reactants is less than the mass of the products.
D)  It isn't possible to artificially generate the conditions needed for fusion.
E)  none of the above

Question 15

How many alpha particles are emitted in the series of radioactive decay events from a U-238 nucleus to a Pb-206 nucleus?

Accepted Answer

A)  32
B)  16
C)  8
D)  4

Question 16

If a material has a half-life of 24 hours,how long do you have to wait until the amount of radioisotope is 1/4 its original amount?

Accepted Answer

A)  12 hours
B)  24 hours
C)  48 hours
D)  72 hours
E)  practically forever,but it may be safe by then

Question 17

The half-life of carbon-14 is 5730 years.A sample is found to have one-eighth the original amount of carbon-14 in it.How old is the sample?

Accepted Answer

A)  5730 years
B)  716 years
C)  45,800 years
D)  17,200 years
E)  none of the above

Question 18

Which of the following statements about fusion is true?

Accepted Answer

A)  Fusion reactions have no critical-mass requirement.
B)  Fusion is easier than fission.
C)  Fusion reactions can be easily controlled to make energy.
D)  Fusion produces no harmful radiation.
E)  none of the above

Question 19

Which of the following does not describe a nuclear fission reaction?

Accepted Answer

A)  The number of nucleons in the products is different from the number of nucleons in the starting material.
B)  The mass of the products is less than the mass of the reactants.
C)  The energy released is proportional to the mass difference in the system.
D)  All of the above describe a fusion reaction.
E)  None of the above describe a fusion reaction.

Question 20

Which are older,the atoms in the body of an elderly person or those in the body of a baby?

Accepted Answer

A)  a baby because this is surely a trick question
B)  an elderly person because they have been around much longer
C)  They are of the same age,which is appreciably older than the solar system.
D)  It depends upon their diet.

Exam 13: The Atomic Nucleus and Radioactivity

Alpha and beta rays are deflected in opposite directions in a magnetic field because

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

If a nucleus of 23290\begin{array} { c } 232\\90\end{array}23290​ Th absorbs a neutron and the resulting nucleus undergoes two successive beta decays (emitting electrons) ,what nucleus results?

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Why does plutonium not occur in appreciable amounts in natural ore deposits?

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If uranium were to split into three segments of equal size instead of two,would more energy or less energy be released?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which of the following statements about fusion is true?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which process would release energy from gold,fission or fusion? From carbon?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

To predict the approximate energy release of either a fission or a fusion reaction,explain how a physicist uses a table of nuclear masses and the equation E = m c2c ^ { 2 }c2 .

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

What are some of the optimistic worldwide changes that may follow the advent of successful fusion reactors?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which of the following emits more radiation?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

If a material has a half-life of 24 hours,how long do you have to wait until the amount of radioisotope is 1/4 its original amount?

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If three samples have the half-lives listed below,which sample would remain radioactive the longest?

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Which of the following does not describe a nuclear fission reaction?

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The alpha particle has twice the electric charge of the beta particle but deflects less than the beta in a magnetic field because it

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How many alpha particles are emitted in the series of radioactive decay events from a U-238 nucleus to a Pb-206 nucleus?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The image below shows a beam of radiation passing between two electrically charged plates. -Which of the beams is actually composed of particles?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Why are smaller nuclei such as carbon-14 often radioactive? (carbon-12 is the most common and most stable form of carbon.)

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

What evidence supports the contention that the strong nuclear force is stronger than the electrical interaction at short inter-nuclear distances?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which are older,the atoms in the body of an elderly person or those in the body of a baby?

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The half-life of carbon-14 is 5730 years.A sample is found to have one-eighth the original amount of carbon-14 in it.How old is the sample?

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What is the main technical difficulty in dealing with fusion reactions?

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If a nucleus of $\begin{array} { c } 232\\90\end{array}$ Th absorbs a neutron and the resulting nucleus undergoes two successive beta decays (emitting electrons) ,what nucleus results?

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To predict the approximate energy release of either a fission or a fusion reaction,explain how a physicist uses a table of nuclear masses and the equation E = m $c ^ { 2 }$ .

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