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Physics > 3.2.1: Particles And Radiation > Flashcards

3.2.1: Particles And Radiation Flashcards

1
Q

Describe the structure of an atom

A

A positively charged nucleus composed of both protons and neutrons surrounded by negatively charged electrons which orbit in shells

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2
Q

What is a nucleon?

A

A proton or neutron in a nucleus

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3
Q

What is the charge of a proton?

A

1.6 x 10^-19

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4
Q

What is the mass of a proton?

A

1.67 x 10^-27

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5
Q

What is the charge of a neutron?

A

0

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6
Q

What is the mass of a neutron?

A

1.67 x 10^-27

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7
Q

What is the charge of an electron?

A

-1.6 x 10^-19

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8
Q

What is the mass of an electron?

A

9.11 x 10^-31 kg

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9
Q

What are isotopes?

A

Atoms with the same number of protons and different number of neutrons

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10
Q

What is the nucleon number (A)?

A

Number of protons and neutrons in the nucleus

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11
Q

What is the proton number (Z)?

A

Number of protons

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12
Q

What is the relative charge of a proton?

A

+1

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13
Q

What is the relative charge of a neutron?

A

0

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14
Q

What is the relative charge of an electron?

A

-1

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15
Q

What is the relative mass of a proton?

A

1

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16
Q

What is the relative mass of a neutron?

A

+1

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17
Q

What is the relative mass of an electron?

A

0.0005

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18
Q

What is the formula for specific charge?

A

Specific charge = charge/mass

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19
Q

What keeps protons and neutrons in a nucleus together?

A

The strong nuclear force

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20
Q

Why are some nuclei unstable?

A

They have too many protons, neutrons or both causing the strong nuclear force to not be strong enough

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21
Q

What happens to the strong nuclear force at distances less than 0.5fm?

A

The strong nuclear force is repulsive

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22
Q

What happens to the strong nuclear force at distances above 0.5fm?

A

The force is attractive

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23
Q

What distance is the strong nuclear force most attractive at?

A

1fm

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24
Q

What happens at distances above 3fm?

A

The strong nuclear force has negligible effect

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25
Q

What does the strong nuclear force do within the atomic nucleus?

A

Hold protons and neutrons together by counteracting the electrostatic force of repulsion between the protons

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26
Q

Why do unstable isotopes undergo nuclear decay?

A

To emit particles to become more stable

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27
Q

What are the main types of nuclear decay?

A

Alpha - occurs in large nuclei with too many neutrons and protons

Beta minus - occurs in neutron rich nuclei

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28
Q

What type of decay is highly ionising but has a range of only a few cm in air?

A

Alpha

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29
Q

What changes occur to the nucleus during alpha decay?

A
  • Proton number decreases by 2
  • Nucleon number decreases by 4
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30
Q

What are the properties of beta minus particles?

A

High speed electrons with a range of several m in air

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31
Q

What happens during beta minus decay?

A

One of the neutrons decays into a proton and emits a beta-minus particle and antineutrino

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32
Q

What changes occur to the nucleus during beta minus decay?

A
  • Proton number increases by 1
  • Nucleon number stays the same
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33
Q

What is an antiparticle?

A

For each particle there is an antiparticle with the same rest energy and mass but all other properties are the opposite of its respective particle.

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34
Q

What is the mass of a positron?

A

Same as electron

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35
Q

What is the rest energy of an electron?

A

0.511 MeV

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36
Q

What is the rest energy of a positron?

A

0.511 MeV

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37
Q

What is the rest energy of an electron neutrino?

A

0

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38
Q

What is the rest energy of an electron antineutrino?

A

0

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39
Q

What is the charge of a positron?

A

1.6 x 10^-19

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40
Q

What is the charge of an electron neutrino?

A

0

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41
Q

What is the charge of an electron antineutrino?

A

0

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42
Q

What are photons?

A
  • Packets of EM radiation
  • With energy proportional to their frequency or inversely proportional to their wavelength
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43
Q

How does electromagnetic radiation travel?

A

In packets called photons which transfer energy and have no mass

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44
Q

What is the formula for energy of a photon?

A

E = hf

E - energy
H - Planck’s constant
F - frequency

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45
Q

What is the value of Planck’s constant?

A

6.63 x 10^-34 Js

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46
Q

What is annihilation?

A
  • When a particle and its antiparticle collide,
  • As a result their masses are converted into energy.
  • This energy along with kinetic energy is released in the form of 2 photons moving in opposite directions in order to conserve momentum
47
Q

What can a PET scanner be used for?

A

3D images of the inside of a body to be taken, making medical diagnoses easier

48
Q

How does a PET scan work?

A
  • Introducing positron-emitting radioisotopes into the patient,
  • As positrons are released they annihilate with the electrons in the patient’s system.
  • This emits gamma photons which can be detected easily
49
Q

What is the equation for photon energy in terms of wavelength?

A

hc/λ

H - Planck’s constant
C - speed of light
λ - wavelength

50
Q

What is pair production?

A

When a photon is converted into an equal amount of matter and antimatter

51
Q

When can pair production occur?

A

When the photon has an energy greater than the total rest energy of both particles.

52
Q

What are the four fundamental forces?

A

Gravity, electromagnetic, strong nuclear, weak nuclear

53
Q

What are exchange particles?

A

Virtual particles which are responsible for how forces act between two particles

54
Q

What is the exchange particle of weak nuclear force?

A

The W boson (W+ or W-).

55
Q

What is the exchange particle of electromagnetism?

A

Virtual photon

56
Q

What is the range of a virtual photon?

57
Q

What is the range of W boson in metres?

58
Q

What does the strong nuclear force act on?

59
Q

What does the weak nuclear force act on?

A

All particles

60
Q

What does electromagnetism work on?

A

Charged particles

61
Q

What does gravity work on?

A

Particles with mass

62
Q

What is the weak nuclear force responsible for?

A
  • Beta decay,
  • Electron capture
  • Electron-proton collisions
63
Q

What is the equation for electron capture and electron-proton collision?

A

p + e- –> n + Ve

64
Q

What is the beta plus decay equation?

A

proton -> neutron + positron + neutrino

65
Q

What is the beta minus decay equation?

A

neutron -> proton + electron + antineutrino

66
Q

What are leptons?

A

They are fundamental particles and are not affected by the strong nuclear force as they cannot be broken down any further

67
Q

What are hadrons?

A

These can feel the strong nuclear force. They are not fundamental, they are made up of quarks

68
Q

What are the 3 types of hadrons?

A

Baryons, antibaryons and mesons

69
Q

What are baryons?

A

Made up of 3 quarks

70
Q

What are antibaryons?

A

Made up of 3 antiquarks

71
Q

What are mesons?

A

Made up of a quark and an antiquark

72
Q

How to recognise if a particle is a baryon?

A

The baryon number is 1

73
Q

How to recognise if a particle is an antibaryon?

A

The baryon number should be -1

74
Q

What is the only stable baryon?

A

Proton, all other baryons will decay into a proton

75
Q

What are the two types of lepton numbers?

A

Electron lepton number and muon lepton number

76
Q

What is a muon?

A

A particle that decays into an electron

77
Q

What are strange particles?

A

Particles that are produced through the strong interaction and decay through the weak interaction

78
Q

What is an example of a strange particle?

A

Kaon which decays into pion

79
Q

What is the exchange particle of the strong nuclear force?

80
Q

What does strangeness show?

A

That strange particles are created in pairs as strangeness must be conserved in weak interactions

81
Q

How much can strangeness change by?

82
Q

How must we investigate particle physics?

A

Particle accelerators must be built, however they are expensive, so scientific investigations rely on the collaboration of scientists internationally

83
Q

What are quarks?

A

Fundamental particles that make up hadrons

84
Q

What are the 3 types of quarks?

A

Up, down, strange

85
Q

What is the charge of the up quark?

A

+2/3 e (“e” stands for the charge of an electron)

86
Q

What is the charge of the down quark?

87
Q

What is the charge of the strange quark?

88
Q

What is the baryon number of the quarks?

89
Q

What is the strangeness of the up quark?

90
Q

What is the strangeness of the down quark?

91
Q

What is the strangeness of the strange quark?

92
Q

How to find out the quark combination of an antibaryon if you know the quark combination of the baryon?

A

Change the quarks into their antiquarks, this can also be applied for mesons

93
Q

What is the quark combination for a proton?

94
Q

What is the quark combination for a neutron?

95
Q

What is the quark combination for π°?

A

uˉu or dˉd

96
Q

What is the quark combination for π+?

97
Q

What is the quark combination for π-?

98
Q

What is the strangeness of all pions?

99
Q

What is the charge of π°?

100
Q

What is the charge of π+?

101
Q

What is the charge of π-?

102
Q

What is the quark combination for k°?

A

Dˉs or sˉd

103
Q

What is the charge of k°?

104
Q

What is the strangeness of k°?

105
Q

What is the quark combination for k+?

106
Q

What is the charge for k+?

107
Q

What is the strangeness of k+?

108
Q

What is the quark combination of k-?

109
Q

What is the charge of k-?

110
Q

What is the strangeness of k-?

111
Q

What is the equation for the decay of a neutron into a proton?

A

Neutron —> proton + electron + antineutrino

112
Q

What properties must always be conserved in particle interactions?

A

Energy and momentum
Charge
Baryon number
Electron lepton number
Muon lepton number

113
Q

When must strangeness be conserved?

A

Strong interactions

Physics (3 decks)

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