Chapter 5

Question 1

Recent reports discussing the population bomb

a. verify that the population will expand above 20 billion
b. indicate that the explosion is slowing
c. show that it doesn’t matter since food supply grows equally fast
d. show that the population of the world is now decreasing

Answer 1

b. indicate that the explosion is slowing

Question 2

A one-kiloton nuclear weapon, exploded at ground level, would destroy

a. about 1 square kilometer of the city
b. most of a small city (e.g., San Francisco)
c. most of a large city ( e.g., New York City)
d. many cities, if they were within 100 miles of each other

Answer 2

a. about 1 square kilometer of the city

Question 3

For an atomic bomb, the number of doubling’s required is closet to

a. 10^23
b. 235
c. 80
d. 16

Answer 3

c. 80

Question 4

An implosion type bomb is required for

a. a u-235 bomb
b. a Pu-239 bomb
c. a thermonuclear bomb
d. a boosted fission weapon

Answer 4

b. a Pu-239 bomb

Question 5

Moore’s law relates to

a. urban legends
b. computer viruses
c. biological viruses
d. computer chip capability

Answer 5

d. computer chip capability

Question 6

Which of the following does not represent exponential growth?

a. a computer virus
b. spread of smallpox
c. epidemic of flu
d. illness from anthrax

Answer 6

d. illness from anthrax

Question 7

The statement that the Chernobyl accident will kill 24,000 people is based on

a. measurements of leukemia and thyroid cancer near Chernobyl
b. the linear hypothesis
c. the concept of a chain reaction
d. the fact that radioactivity is contagious

Answer 7

b. the linear hypothesis

Question 8

A moderator is something that

a. slows neutrons
b. slows fission fragments
c. fission’s more easily than U-235
d. speeds up the chain reaction

Answer 8

a. slows neutrons

Question 9

The dangerous radioactivity in fallout comes from

a. neutrons
b. neutrinos
c. gamma rays
d. fission fragments

Answer 9

d. fission fragments

Question 10

Fallout is much worse if the bomb

a. is exploded near the ground
b. is exploded at high altitude
c. undergoes fewer generations
d. contains no fissile material

Answer 10

a. is exploded near the ground

Question 11

A nuclear reactor cannot explode like a nuclear bomb because

a. it contains too much uranium
b. it contains no uranium
c. the nuclear reactor depends on slow neutrons
d. it is carefully designed to shut down quickly

Answer 11

c. the nuclear reactor depends on slow neutrons

Question 12

According to the text, the least bad place to put nuclear waste is

a. in the sun
b. all the way into outer space
c. in our food
d. underground

Answer 12

d. underground

Question 13

A breeder reactor is designed to produce

a. U-235
b. tritium
c. U-238
d. plutonium

Answer 13

d. plutonium

Question 14

The number of nuclear weapons that the United States had was closet to

a. one million
b. ten thousand
c. one thousand
d. several hundred

Answer 14

b. ten thousand

Question 15

PCR has been used to (choose all that are appropriate):

A. identify children of Thomas Jefferson

b. check the guilt of convicted murders
c. identify victims of 9/11
d. Identify the fathers of children

Answer 15

A. identify children of Thomas Jefferson

b. check the guilt of convicted murders
c. identify victims of 9/11
d. Identify the fathers of children

Question 16

The Hiroshima bomb used

a. a gun design
b. thermonuclear fusion
c. implosion
d. boosted fission

Answer 16

a. a gun design

Question 17

If the water moderator is lost from a nuclear reactor,

a. the reactor will explode like an atomic bomb
b. radiation from fission fragments will continue to produce heat
c. all of the power of the reactor will immediately go to zero
d. the chain reaction will increase, causing a re-activity accident

Answer 17

b. radiation from fission fragments will continue to produce heat

Question 18

The material that might be “reprocessed” from nuclear waste is

a. tritium
b. U-238
c. U-235
d. Pu-239

Answer 18

d. Pu-239

Question 19

Which of the following is not a good example of the doubling law?

a. lightning
b. avalanche
c. nuclear chain reaction
d. future population growth

Answer 19

d. future population growth

Question 20

The Canadian Candu reactors use

a. light water
b. deuterium
c. thermonuclear fusion
d. tritium

Answer 20

b. deuterium

Question 21

Plutonium can explode with fewer generations that can uranium because

a. plutonium fission release more neutrons
b. plutonium fission release more energy
c. plutonium does not require a moderator
d. plutonium turns into uranium

Answer 21

a. plutonium fission release more neutrons

Question 22

In a nuclear power plant, the material that runs through the turbine is

a. fission fragments
b. electrons
c. neutrons
d. steam

Answer 22

d. steam

Question 23

The number of deaths from the Nagasaki bomb is estimated to be

a, 100 to 500

b. 50,000 to 150,000
c. 2 to 3 million
d. 12 million

Answer 23

b. 50,000 to 150,000

Question 24

The smallest container that could contain one critical mass of plutonium is

a. a tablespoon
b. a coffee mug
c. a large suitcase
d. the trunk of an automobile

Answer 24

b. a coffee mug

Question 25

The bomb dropped on Hiroshima used as its fuel

a. uranium
b. plutonium
c. hydrogen
d. deuterium and lithium-6

Answer 25

a. uranium

Question 26

Saddam Hussein planned to enrich uranium using

a. Calutrons
b. centrifuges
c. lasers
d. gaseous diffusion

Answer 26

a. Calutrons

Question 27

A centrifuge enrichment plant takes an area of about

a. one living room
b. one large classroom
c. one large building
d. about on square mile

Answer 27

b. one large classroom

Question 28

PCR involves

a. tritium
b. carbon-14 (radiocarbon
c. heavy water
d. DNA

Answer 28

d. DNA

Question 29

One of the most dangerous radioactive materials from fallout is

a. U-235
b. Pu-239
c. Sr-90
d. deuterium

Answer 29

c. Sr-90

Question 30

The term China syndrome refers to

a. the accident at Chernobyl
b. meltdown of the nuclear fuel
c. production of plutonium in China
d. nuclear terrorism

Answer 30

b. meltdown of the nuclear fuel

Question 31

Depleted uranium is a useful substance because

a. it is radioactive
b. an artillery shell made from it is very penetrating
c. it is poisonous (but not very radioactive)
d. it can be converted to U-235

Answer 31

b. an artillery shell made from it is very penetrating

Question 32

PCR was used to learn about

a. the critical mass of uranium
b. descendants of Sally Hemmings
c. the security of Yucca Mountain
d. locations of oil underground

Answer 32

b. descendants of Sally Hemmings

Question 33

Another name for the H-bomb is

a. dirty bomb
b. stealth bomb
c. fission bomb
d. thermonuclear bomb

Answer 33

d. thermonuclear bomb

Question 34

A nuclear explosion similar to the one produced by North Korea would destroy an area of about

a. the size of a college campus
b. the size of a medium-size town
c. the size of a major city
d. the size of a small state (e.g. Massachusetts)

Answer 34

a. the size of a college campus

Question 35

Cold fusion

a. despite claims, has never been observed
b. has been seen in laboratory experiments
c. is the key mechanism used in the Tokamak
d. is used by Livermore in the NIF (National Ignition Facility) project

Answer 35

b. has been seen in laboratory experiments

Question 36

At Three mile island ( Choose all correct)

a. there was a reactivity accident ( runaway chain reaction)
b. over 200 people are expected to die from the released fission fragments
c. some of the uranium fuel melted
d. despite newspaper reports, no radioactivity was released

Answer 36

c. some of the uranium fuel melted

Question 37

What distinguishes a breeder reactor from other reactors is that

a. it uses slow neutrons
b. it cannot melt down
c. it uses hydrogen as its fuel
d. it makes more fuel than it uses

Answer 37

d. it makes more fuel than it uses

Question 38

Jupiter is not a star because

a. it isn’t made of hydrogen
b. it isn’t massive enough
c. it is too far from the Sun
d. it isn’t made of helium

Answer 38

b. it isn’t massive enough