Atomic And Nuclear Physics Flashcards
What’s an atom
Smallest part of an element that can exist on its own
Stuff about protons
Found in nucleus
Relative mass- 1
Charge -+1
Stuff about neutron
Found in nucleus
Relative mass-1
Charge-0
Stuff about electron
Found in shells orbiting nucleus
Relative mass- 1/1840
Charge- -1
What’s atomic number
The number of protons in a nucleus
It tells u the number of electrons on an atom
The bottom number
What’s mass number
The sum of the number of protons and neutrons
The top number
What’s isotopes
Atoms with the same number of protons but different number of neutrons
What protection can u do when handling radioactive material
Protective clothing
Use tongs
Keep in containers
What’s the alpha particle written as
⁴ He Or ⁴ a
² ²
Minus 4 from top
Minus 2 from bottom
What can beta be written as
⁰ B
-¹
Top doesn’t change
Bottom you plus 1
How often is radioactive decay
Random and spontaneous
What does spontaneous mean
Changes such as
Temperature
Pressure
Chemical changes
What’s a half life
The time taken for the activity or a radioactive material to fall by half
Where does half life come from
Isotopes
How does background radiation arise
Cosmic rays from space
Radon gas from rocks and soil
Medical sources eg xray
Nuclear fallout from nuclear weapons
Radioactive waste
When using radiation how is medicine used
Gamma radiation from the cobalt 60 isotope can be used to treat tumours
Radioisotopes are used to monitor the function of organs by injecting a small amount into the bloodstream and detecting radiation
Iodine 131 is used in investigations of the thyroid gland
Surgical instruments can be sterilised by exposure to gamma radiation
How is radiation used in agriculture
Gamma radiation can be used to treat fresh food, it kills bacteria on the food
When a plant absorbs a fertiliser, a small amount of radioactive isotope can be found in the fertiliser
How is radiation used in industry
Beta radiation can be used to monitor the thickness of a sheet of paper or aluminium
How is radiation used in radioactive tracers
A suitable radioactive isotope can be used to provide information about fluid movement and mixing to monitor, eg underground pipes
The tracer is added to the fluid in the pipe and builds up in the ground if there is a leak
The radiation needs to penetrative many cm of soul to reach the detectors
What’s nuclear fission
The process by a uranium nucleus absorbs a slow neutrons and then splits to produce 2 or more lighter nuclei and several neutrons
