Chapter 4 Flashcards
Energy in the Sun is produced primarily by
a. fossil fuels
b. neutrinos
c. fission
d. fusion
d. fusion
The mass of the nucleus is closet to
a. 99% of that in the entire atom
b. 1% of that in the atom
c. 10^-5 of that in the atom
d. 10 ^-15 of that in the atom
a. 99% of that in the entire atom
Radioactivity in the Earth leads to
a. energy for volcanoes
b. helium for toy balloons
c. heat for geysers
d. all of the above
d. all of the above
LD50 Refers to a
a. lethal dose
b. legal dose
c. large dose
d. lowest dose
a. lethal dose
A major reason that your body is radioactive is that
a. it is slightly contaminated by debris from nuclear tests
b. it is made radioactive by medical x-rays
c. you eat radioactive carbon in your food
d. you are hit by neutrinos from the sun
c. you eat radioactive carbon in your food
The primary cause of death from the Hiroshima bomb was
a. radiation-induced cancer
b. the blast from the bomb
c. fallout from the bomb
d. smoking induced by fear of the bomb
b. the blast from the bomb
Fission fragments are
a. harmless particles emitted in radioactivity
b. among the most dangerous kind of radiation
c. ghost-like particles that pass through the Earth
d. the source of most energy in the Sun
b. among the most dangerous kind of radiation
Wine made from fossil fuels is not radioactive because
a. the radioactivity has decayed away
b. there is no carbon in such wine
c. ancient plants never were radioactive
d. the half-life of the key elements is too long
a. the radioactivity has decayed away
If the half-life of an element is big, that means that
a. It decays faster than one with a small half-life
b. it decays slower than one with a small half-life
c. it belongs to a very heavy element
d. it emits lots of neutrons when it decays
b. it decays slower than one with a small half-life
Muller wears a wristwatch with tritium in the watch hands because
a. he is not worried about radioactivity
b. tritium is not radioactive
c. the levels of radiation that emerge are safe
d. no radiation emerges from the watch hands
d. no radiation emerges from the watch hands
After three half-lives, the fraction of nuclei remaining is
a. 1/2
b. 1/3
c. 1/4
d. 1/8
d. 1/8
Most of the elements found on the Earth were created
a. in the first few million years of the Earth’s existence
b. with in a star
c. in the Big Bang
d. in a supernova explosion
b. with in a star
The fraction of the U.S. population that dies from cancer is typically
a. about 1 in 10,000
b. about 1 in 100
c. about 1 in 5
d. most of us die from cancer.
c. about 1 in 5
Watch dials containing radium glow because
a. all radioactivity creates light
b. batteries supply energy when a button is pushed
c. the radiation hits a phosphor
d. They don’t glow. Only tritium glows.
c. the radiation hits a phosphor
Choose all the items that derive from radioactivity:
a. Helium for children’s balloons
b. Volcanic lava
c. Warmth in deep mines
d. most cancer in the United States
a. Helium for children’s balloons
b. Volcanic lava
c. Warmth in deep mines
After four half-lives, the surviving tritium atoms are removed. Compared to completely new tritium atoms, they are expected to live
a. 1/8 as long
b. 1/4 as long
c. 1/2 as long
d. exactly as long
d. exactly as long
One rem of radiation dose takes how many gammas per square centimeter?
a. about 1
b. about 5000
c. about a million
d. about 2,000,000,000
d. about 2,000,000,000
Which requires the larger dose?
a. radiation poisoning
b. cancer
c. they are very close in amount needed.
b. cancer
The linear hypothesis is (Choose all that are correct)
a. known to be true
b. widely used even though it is not proven
c. known to be false
d. generally ignored in analysis of radiation deaths
b. widely used even though it is not proven
A Sievert is how many rem?
a. 1
b. 0.01
c. 100
d. 1000
c. 100
Cancer is lower in Denver because
a. the radiation is lower
b. the radiation is higher
c. there are more gamma rays even though there are fewer betas
d. We don’t know why.
d. We don’t know why.
The number of deaths from the Chernobyl accident is about
a. less than 1
b. 24,000
c. 124,000
d. over a million
b. 24,000
Radioactivity is used in
a. flashlights
b. TV screens
c. fluorescent lights
d. smoke detectors
d. smoke detectors
Neutron activation is used
a. to treat cancer
b. to search for rare atoms
c. to provide energy
d. to create light
b. to search for rare atoms
Dirty bombs may be less of a threat that people fear, because
a. once spread out, the rem level drops below the radiation illness threshold
b. dirty bombs require plutonium, and that is hard for terrorists to obtain
c. the radioactivity is too small to induce cancer
d. the radiation does not actually get out of the bomb case, even when exploded
a. once spread out, the rem level drops below the radiation illness threshold
Radioactivity in the Earth is responsible for
a. helium we use in balloons
b. warmth to keep the oceans liquid
c. creation of the oxygen we breathe
d. navigation of birds
a. helium we use in balloons
Volcanic heat comes from
a. radioactive explosions
b. the weight of rock
c. accumulated sunlight
d. fusion deep in the Earth
a. radioactive explosions
The best way to measure the age of an ancient bone is
a. potassium-argon dating
b. neutron activation
c. controlled thermonuclear fusion
d. radiocarbon dating
d. radiocarbon dating
An RTG (radioisotope thermoelectric generator) is
a. a type of bomb
b. used in hospitals for power
c. carried in pacemakers to supply power
d. carried in satellites for power
d. carried in satellites for power
Uranium is found on the Earth, even though it is radioactive. That’s because
a it is constantly made by cosmic rays
b. it has a very long half-life
c. it is created in fusion in the sun
d. it is created by fusion in the Earth
b. it has a very long half-life
Carbon-14, compared to carbon-12,
a. has more protons
b. has more neutrons
c. has more electrons
d. has a shorter half-life
b. has more neutrons
Alexander Litvinenko was assassinated with
a. plutonium
b. tritium
c. radium
d. polonium
d. polonium
The radiation from cell phones
a. does not cause cancer
b. causes cancer, but not enough to worry
c. causes over 1% of the cancer in those who use them
d. protects users from cosmic rays
a. does not cause cancer
The threshold for radiation illness is about
a. 1 rem
b. 100 rem
c. 500 rem
d. 2500 rem
b. 100 rem
The natural radioactivity (rate of nuclear decays) in a typical human body is closet to
a. 0.2 per hour
b. 12 per hour
c. 12 per minute
d. 4000 per second
d. 4000 per second
Which of the following is most toxic per gram?
a. arsenic
b. botox
c. water
d. plutonium
b. botox
The radioactivity from your own body
a. does not cause cancer because it is natural
b. is responsible for more than half of the cancer in humans
c. does cause cancer, but at a very low rate
d. helps reduce natural cancer, just as radiation therapy does
c. does cause cancer, but at a very low rate
The source of energy in the Sun is
a. uranium chain reaction
b. radioactivity of tritium
c. fusion of hydrogen
d. radioactivity of potassium-40
c. fusion of hydrogen
Drinking alcohol is required to be radioactive because
a. it proves that it is not made of petroleum
b. it is healthier
c. it shows that alcohol was ‘aged’
d. it is not required; just the opposite, alcohol for consumption must not be radioactive.
a. it proves that it is not made of petroleum
