5 — Nuclear physics, radioactivity

Question 1

Give the definition of isotopes.

Answer 1

Question 2

List the isotopes of hydrogen with their mass number and the constituents of their nuclei.

Answer 2

Question 3

What is the mass defect of nuclei?

Answer 3

Question 4

What is the relationship between the total binding energy (ΔE) and the mass defect (Δm) of a given nucleus?

Answer 4

Question 5

Describe how the binding energy per nucleon changes asa function of mass number.

Answer 5

Question 6

What are the properties of nuclear force (their range, strength and direction)?

Answer 6

Question 7

On what kind of energy level does a nucleon reside in a nucleus compared to the energy of a free particle?

Answer 7

Question 8

List the types of radioactive radiation and characterize the particles constituting them.

Answer 8

Question 9

What is the direction of changes in the atomic number and the mass number of nuclei during alpha decay, both types of β decay, electron capture, and gamma decay?

Answer 9

Question 10

Why is the spectrum of beta decay continuous?

Answer 10

Question 11

What is electron capture and what does it produce?

Answer 11

Question 12

Give the equation describing the number of undecayed nuclei as a function of time (i.e. the law of radioactive decay).

Answer 12

Question 13

What is the physical meaning of the radioactive decay constant?

Answer 13

Question 14

What is the relationship between the radioactive decay constant (λ) and the half life (T)?

Answer 14

Question 15

Define biological half life.

Answer 15

Question 16

Define effective half life.

Answer 16

Question 17

Describe the relationship between the effective (Teff), the physical (Tphys) and the biological (Tbiol) half lives.

Answer 17

Question 18

Describe the relationship between the physical (λphys), the biological (λbiol) and the effective (λeff) decay constants.

Answer 18