Discovery Of The Neutron Flashcards
Who discovered the neutron?
James Chadwick
What did James Chadwick discover?
The neutron
What experiment did Chadwick carry out?
He bombarded a sample of beryllium with alpha particles
Describe the apparatus used by Chadwick.
2
A source of alpha particles
A sample of beryllium between the source of alpha particles and a paraffin wax block
What did Chadwick discovered from his experiment?
HE discovered that some type of radiation consisting of particles with no charge came from the beryllium
Why were the particles from the beryllium difficult to detect?
Because they were neutral
What did Chadwick discover about the neutral particles?
He found that these neutral particles were penetrating enough to knock protons out of paraffin wax
What did Chadwick conclude?
He concluded that the alpha particles were knocking neutral particles out of the nucleus of the beryllium atom
What did Chadwick learn about neutrons from his results?
That they had about the same mass
What did Chadwick name the neutral particles?
Neutrons
Why did Chadwick call the particles neutrons?
Because they had about the same mass as the proton but were neutral
What was emitted from the beryllium?
Neutrons
What was emitted from the paraffin wax block?
Protons
Why did the neutron prove to be one of the most important particles ever discovered?
Neutrons are used to bring about the splitting of atoms of uranium to release nuclear energy in atomic bombs and nuclear reactors
