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AQA A-Level Physics > 3.2 Particles and Radiation > Flashcards

3.2 Particles and Radiation Flashcards

1
Q

Charge of proton / electron?

A

1.6x10^-19 C/ -1.6x10^-19 C

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2
Q

relative mass of electron?

A

0.0005

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3
Q

What does A represent?

A

nucleon number

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4
Q

What does Z represent?

A

proton number

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5
Q

What is an isotope?

A

Same number of protons (same element) but diff number of neutrons

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6
Q

What can isotopes be used for?

A

carbon dating, medicine, nuclear fission

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7
Q

What is carbon dating?

A

All living things have the same ratio of carbon14 to carbon12
When an organism dies, the (radioactive) carbon14 decays.
Physicists use the percentage of carbon14 left and compare it with isotopic data to calculate the age

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8
Q

What are the four fundamental forces?

A

gravity, electromagnetic, strong nuclear, weak nuclear

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9
Q

where is the strong force repulsive?

A

below 0.5fm (to stop the nucleus from collapsing in on itself)

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10
Q

Where is the strong nuclear force attractive?

A

between 0.5-3 fm; negligible up to 5fm when overtaken by electrostatic force

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11
Q

What is a beta-minus particle?

A

a fast-moving electron emitted by radioactive decays

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12
Q

What very small particle is emitted in beta-decay?

A

a neutrino

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13
Q

EM radiation is made of WHICH particles of light with WHAT energy (equation)?

A

Photons
E=hf

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14
Q

What is annihilation?

A

When a particle and its anti-particle meet and all the mass gets converted into energy in the form of two gamma photons

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15
Q

What is pair production?

A

A photon turns into a particle-antiparticle pair. The energy gets converted unto mass: the minimum energy for the photon to do this must be at least the total rest mass of the two particles produced.

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16
Q

What does the electromagnetic force affect and what is the exchange particle?

A

all charged particles / virtual photons

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17
Q

What does the weak nuclear force affect and what are the exchange particles?

A

all particles / W+, W- bosons

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18
Q

What does gravity affect and what are the exchange particles?

A

all particles / graviton

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19
Q

What direction is time in Feynman diagrams?

A

up

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20
Q

Describe the electromagnetic repulsion Feynman diagram

A

two electrons in, two electrons out, virtual photon between them

21
Q

Describe the Feynman diagram for beta plus decay

A

proton turns to a neutron, positron, and electron neutrino; has a W+ boson in between neutron and other two products

22
Q

Describe the Feynman diagram for beta minus decay

A

neutron turns to a proton, electron, and anti-electron neutrino; W- boson between proton and other two products

23
Q

Describe the Feynman diagram for electron capture

A

proton and electron in, W+ boson between (electron direction), neutron and electron neutrino out

24
Q

What are the two types of hadrons

A

baryons and mesons

25
Q

Which particles does the strong nuclear force affect and what is the exchange particle/

A

hadrons / pions + gluons

26
Q

leptons do not interact with which force?

A

the strong nuclear force

27
Q

what are the four leptons?

A

electrons, muons, electron neutrino, muon neutrino

28
Q

What class of particles do quarks make up?

A

hadrons - baryons and mesons

29
Q

what is the quark composition of a proton?

A

up, up, down

30
Q

what is the quark composition of a neutron?

A

up, down, down

31
Q

what is the quark composition of an antineutron?

A

anti-down, anti-down, anti-up

32
Q

what is the quark composition of an antiproton?

A

anti-up, anti-up, anti-down

33
Q

what is the strangeness of a strange quark?

A

-1

34
Q

what is the strangeness of an anti-strange quark?

A

1

35
Q

What is the weak nuclear force responsible for?

A

decay

36
Q

Why may carbon dating not be reliable in the future?

A

Due to burning fossil fuels and open-air bomb testing, the ratio of different carbon isotopes will be altered (human activity)

37
Q

what are the uses of carbon dating?

A

finding the age of different fossils
information on the changes in climate

38
Q

What are the three different hydrogen isotopes?

A

PROTIUM - 1 proton, 99.98% of Hydrogen atoms, used in Hydrogen fuel cells
DEUTERIUM - 1 proton+1 neutron, used in nuclear fusion
TRITIUM - 1 proton+2 neutrons, used is thermonuclear fusion weapons

39
Q

Describe alpha decay

A

2protons+2 neutrons released, for very large nuclei, proton number = -2, nucleon number = -4

40
Q

how was the (anti)neutrino theorised?

A

The kinetic energy graph shows that beta particles have a range of kinetic energies. There is a fixed amount of energy so there must be another particle (neutrino) which carries away that missing energy; accounts for conservation of energy in beta-minus decay

41
Q

What is the rule for mass/ energy in pair production?

A

the energy of the photon must be at least equal to the rest mass of the particle-antiparticle pair created

42
Q

which waves have the highest/ lowest frequencies?

A

gamma has highest frequency + energy
radio has the lowest frequency + energy

43
Q

What is the difference between an emission spectrum and an absorption spectrum?

A

Photons are energy carriers; in absorption, the atom moves up energy levels by absorbing a photon, and in emission the atom moves down energy levels by emitting a photon.

44
Q

How do fluorescent tubes work?

A

High voltage applied to mercury vapour in tubes, which accelerates free electrons, ionising mercury atoms to excite their electrons. When they de-excite, they emit UV photons. Phosphor coating on inside of tubes absorb UV photons, which excites its electrons. When these de-excite, they emit visible light photons

45
Q

Which colours have the highest/ lowest wavelengths?

A

Red has highest (700 nm) and violet has lowest (380 nm)

46
Q

Where are strange particles produced/ decay?

A

Produced in strong interaction
Decay in weak interaction

47
Q

Explain which of the four fundamental forces is responsible for the decay of the neutron

A

The weak nuclear force which includes a change in quark structure

48
Q

Explain how electron paths change due to forces between two of them

A

They experience the electromagnetic force, carried out by a virtual photon, which has momentum. The principle of conservation of momentum enables the electron path to change

49
Q

Why is progress in (particle) Physics slow?

A

It requires international collaboration and verification
Investment in expensive is needed

AQA A-Level Physics (25 decks)

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