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atomic and nuclear physics Flashcards

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AP® Physics flashcards Physics 101 flashcards
1
Q

the plum pudding model

A

JJ Thompson founded the electrons
atoms have a positive charge
electrons are dotted through the atom
positive charge is spread through the atom

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2
Q

rutherford alpha particle scattering experiment

A

it involved firing beams of alpha particles at a thin sheet of gold foil. the final location of the alpha particles could then be measured using an alpha detector placed in different positions around the gold foil

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3
Q

observations of alpha particle scattering experiment

A

make alpha particles traveled straight through
some were deflected by a small angle
a small number of alpha particles were back scattered

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4
Q

rutherford model of the atom

A

-atom has a central positively charged nucleus
-nucleus contains protons and electrons orbiting the nucleus
-all the mass of an atom is contained in the nucleus

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5
Q

why are atoms neutral

A

they have an equal number of protons and electrons

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6
Q

charge mass and position of proton

A

+1, 1, in the nucleus

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7
Q

charge mass and position of neutron

A

0, 1, in the nucleus

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8
Q

charge mass and position of electron

A

-1, 1/1840, orbiting nucleus in shells

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9
Q

what’s the mass number

A

the number of protons and neutrons

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10
Q

what’s the mass number symbol

A

A

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11
Q

atomic number definition

A

the number of protons

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12
Q

atomic number symbol

A

z

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13
Q

what’s an isotope

A

same atomic number different mass number
OR
in the nucleus there will be the same number of protons but different number of neutrons

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14
Q

what is radioactivity

A

some nuclei are unstable and will disintegrate by letting alpha beta or gamma radiation randomly and spontaneously

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15
Q

what’s the nature of an alpha particle

A

helium nucleus(2 protons and 2 neutrons)

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16
Q

charge of an alpha particle

A

+2

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17
Q

mass of an alpha particle

A

4

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18
Q

what’s an alpha particle stopped by

A

few cm of air
paper

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19
Q

alpha symbol

A

4
H
2

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20
Q

nature of a beta particle

A

electron

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21
Q

charge of a beta particle

A

-1

22
Q

mass of a beta particle

A

1/1840

23
Q

what’s beta stopped by

A

several metres of air
aluminium

24
Q

symbol of beta

A

0
e
-1

25
Q

nature of gamma

A

electromagnetic wave

26
Q

charge of gamma

A

0

27
Q

mass of gamma

A

0

28
Q

gamma symbol

A

0
y
0

29
Q

what’s gamma stopped by

A

several kilometres of air
lead

30
Q

background radiation definition

A

background activity is detected when no radioactive sources are present

31
Q

natural sources of background radiation

A

cosmic rays from space
rocks and soil
radon gas

32
Q

what safety measures may be in place for those living in areas with lots of radon gas present

A

people who live in areas with a high background radiation due to radon gas require homes to be well ventilated to remove the gas

33
Q

man made sources of background radiation

A

x-rays
radioactive waste from nuclear power plants
radioactive fallout from nuclear weapons testing

34
Q

how can measured activity from a radioactive source be corrected

A

subtracting the background activity

35
Q

ionisation definition

A

loss of electrons

36
Q

what happens when living cells are ionised

A

radioactive emissions cause dangerous ionisations by removing electrons from atoms and when this happens with molecules in living cells the genetic material of a cell is damaged and the cell may become cancerous

37
Q

how dangerous are the different types of radiation

A

-alpha radiation is not as dangerous if the radioactive source is outside the body because it cannot pass through the skin and is unlikely to reach cells inside the body
-beta and gamma radiation can penetrate the skin and cause damage to the cells
-alpha radiation will damage calls if radioactive source has been breathed in or swallowed

38
Q

safety precautions when working with radioactive sources

A

-store sources in lead lined container
-wear protective clothing
-limit exposure time
-handle using tongs

39
Q

half life definition

A

time taken for half unstable nuclei to decay

40
Q

radioactive isotopes in the industry

A

radioactive isotopes are used in industry to find the route of underground pipes using a gamma ray emitter (short half life) or to control thickness if metal as it is rolled into thin sheets using a beta emitter (long half life)

41
Q

radioactive isotopes in medicine

A

gamma rays are used in medicine to sterilise plastic objects such as syringes (long half life) and different radiative isotopes are used to monitor the function of organs by injecting a small amount into the bloodstream and detecting the emitted radiation (short half life gamma source)

42
Q

radioactive isotopes in agriculture

A

gamma rays are used in agriculture to kill the bacteria on food (long half life) prolonging its shelf life

43
Q

radioactive isotopes in smoke alarms

A

alpha radiation is used in smoke alarms (long half life)

44
Q

the nuclear fission process

A

-slow moving neutron
-absorbed by heavy uranium/plutonium nucleus
-splits into two lighter daughter nuclei
-realising energy
-and 2/3 neutrons
-these fission neutrons go on to cause further fissions creating a chain reaction

45
Q

political social environmental and ethical issues relating to being nuclear energy to generate electricity

A

-using nuclear power produces employment opportunities but many are concerned about living close to nuclear power plants and the storage facilities used for radioactive waste
-incidents at nuclear power plants in ukraine have caused huge economic health and environmental damage to the area surrounding the power plant
-the mining transport and purification of the uranium ore releases significant amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere

46
Q

steps of nuclear fission

A

-deuterium and tritium
-join together
-to form helium
-releasing energy
-requires very high temperatures
-only happens in stars

47
Q

positives of nuclear fusion

A

-nuclear fusion has the potential to solve the words energy needs provided the technological difficulties of fusion reactors can be overcome
-the isotope of hydrogen deuterium and tritium are widely available as they are constituents of sea water and so are nearly inexhaustible
-fusion doesn’t emit carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere as its major by product is helium which is an inert non toxic gas

48
Q

compare fusion to burning fossil fuels

A

nuclear fusion releases four million times more energy per kg than burning coal oil or gas

49
Q

compare nuclear fusion to fission

A

nuclear fusion releases four times more energy per kg than nuclear fission

50
Q

difficulties of producing nuclear fusion on earth

A

-it may be another fifty years before nuclear fusion can be used to provide electricity
-nuclear fusion reactors will be expensive to build and the system used to contain them will be equally expensive bcs of the very high temps needed for nuclei to fuse

51
Q

what is the ITER project

A

-in southern france 35 countries are collaborating to build the worlds largest tokamak
-a tokamak is a toroidal container kept within a vacuum
-the plasma needed for fusion to occur is stored within the tokamak using powerful magnetic fields
-iter is intended to be the first fusion device to produce net energy meaning that more energy should be produced for the fusion that is needed to start the reaction
-it is designed to maintain fusion for long periods of time and test the integrated technologies and materials necessary for the commercial production of fusion based electricity

52
Q

what will iter do

A

-the iter tokamak could produce 500MW of fusion power
-it is designed to produce 500MW of fusion power from 50MW of input power

Physics (4 decks)

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