Module 6 Flashcards
What are capacitors?
Electrical components in which charge is separated. They consist of two metallic plates separated from each other by an insulator.
What is capacitance?
The charge stored per unit p.d. across a capacitor.
What is the unit for capacitance?
Farads (F).
How do you calculate the capacitance of a capacitor?
C = Q/V
If two or more capacitors are connected in parallel, is the p.d. the same across them or different?
The p.d. across each capacitor is the same.
How do you calculate the total charge stored by capacitors in parallel?
The total charge stored is equal to the sum of the individual charges stored by the capacitors/
Qt=Q1+Q2+Q3+…
How do you calculate the total capacitance of capacitors connected in parallel?
The total capacitance is equal to the sum of the individual capacitances of the capacitors.
Ct=C1+C2+C3+…
When capacitors are connected in series, how do you calculate the p.d. across the combination?
The sum of the individual p.d.s across the capacitors.
V=V1+V2+V3+…
When capacitors are connected in series, is the charge stored by each capacitor the same or different?
Same.
How do you find the total capacitance of capacitors connected in series?
1/Ct=1/C1+1/C2+1/C3+…
How can you use a p.d.-charge graph to determine the energy stored in a capacitor?
Area under graph = work done.
W=1/2VQ
W=1/2V^2C
W=1/2Q^2/C
For a discharging capacitor, what do V-t. I-t, and Q-t graphs show?
Exponential decay.
What is the time constant (tau) of a capacitor-resistor circuit?
The product of the capacitance and resistance. It is equal to the time taken for the p.d./current/charge to decrease to e^-1 (about 37%) of its initial value.
What is the electrical field strength of an electrical field at a point in space?
The force experienced per unit positive charge at that point.
E=F/Q
What are the uses of capacitors?
Camera flash, provide back-up power for computers and emergency lighting for when the mains supply cuts out briefly.
Smoothing capacitors help to convert AC to DC.
How do you use electrical field lines to map electrical field patterns?
- the arrow on an electric field line shows the direction of the field
- electric field lines are always at right angles to the surface of a conductor
- equally spaces, parallel electric field lines represent a uniform field (one in which the field strength is the same everywhere)
- closer electric field lines represent greater electric field strength
What is the electric field strength of an electric field?
The force exerted per unit positive charge at that point.
E=F/Q
What is Coulomb’s law?
Any two point charges exert an electrostatic force on each other that is directly proportional to the product of their charges and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.
What are some differences between electric and gravitational fields?
- Gravitational fields are always attractive whereas Electric fields can be attractive or repulsive
- the property that creates a gravitational field is mass whereas the property that creates an electric field is charge
What are some similarities between electric and gravitational fields?
- Both force per unit (property creating charge)
- Force is inversely proportional to the separation squared
- Point masses/charges produce a radial field
How do you find the electric field strength between two parallel plates?
W=Fd
VQ=EQd
V=Ed
E=V/d
What does the capacitance of a capacitor depend on?
- separation between the plates
- the area of overlap between the plates
- the dielectric used between the plates
What is the equation for capacitance when a dielectric other than a vacuum is used?
C= epsilon(r)epsilon(0) A/d
How do you describe the motion of an electron travelling at right angles to an electric field?
Horizontally:
- there is no acceleration (ignore gravitational effects as mass of electron is so small)
- the time spent in the field is L/v
Vertically:
- vertical acceleration given by a= F/m = EQ/m
- initial vertical velocity is 0
- final vertical component of the velocity v is given by v=u+at. v=0+ EQ/m x L/v = EQL/mv
What is alpha radiation?
Two protons and two neutrons (helium nuclei). They have a charge of 2e.
What is beta radiation?
Fast moving electrons or positrons. Beta-minus has a charge of -e and beta-plus has charge of e.
Why are anti-electron neutrinos released in beta-minus decay?
Conservation of lepton number.
What is gamma radiation?
High energy photons with a wavelength less than 10^-13 m.
Why are alpha particles deflected less than beta particles when passing through an electric field?
Greater mass.
How do you keep safe around radioactive sources?
- Store sources in lead-lined containers
- use a pair of tongs with long handles when transporting sources
What force causes beta decay?
Weak nuclear.
Can gamma decay occur on its own?
No, only occurs in conjunction with alpha or beta decay.
Why is radioactive decay random?
- we cannot predict when a particular nucleus in a sample will decay or which one will decay next
- each nucleus in a sample has the same chance of decaying per unit time
Why is radioactive decay spontaneous?
The decay of nuclei is not effected by:
- the presence of other nuclei in the sample
- external factors such as pressure
What is the half life of an isotope?
The average time it takes for half the number of active nuclei in a sample to decay.
What is the activity A of a source?
The rate at which nuclei decay or disintegrate. It is also the number of alpha, beta, or gamma photons emitted from the source per unit time.
What is a becquerel?
An activity of one decay per second.
What does activity depend upon?
The number of undecayed nuclei present in the source and on the half-life of the isotope.
How is alpha, beta, and gamma radiation deflected in an electric field?
Negative beta-minus particles are deflected towards the positive plate, whilst the positive alpha and beta-plus particles are deflected towards the negative plate. Alpha particles are deflected less than beta particles because of their greater mass. Gamma rays are not deflected because they are uncharged.
How is alpha, beta, and gamma radiation deflected in a magnetic field?
The direction of the force on each particle can be determined using Flemings left hand rule. Gamma rays are not deflected.
What does each finger represent in Flemings left hand rule?
Thumb - Force
First finger - Magnetic field
Second finger - Current
How can you stop an alpha particle?
A few centimetres of air or a thin sheet of paper.
How can you stop a beta particle?
A metre of air or 1-3 mm of aluminium.
How can you stop gamma rays?
A few centimetres of lead.
What is electrical potential energy?
The work done to go against an electrical field (push like charges together or separate opposite charges). It is the area under a force-distance graph. If the force is attractive, the value for electrical potential will be negative.
What is electrical potential at a point?
The work done per unit charge in bringing a positive charge from infinity to that point. The unit is Volts and in the formula booklet is written as V, which is confusing as it is not the same as P.D.
What were the observations and conclusions of Rutherford’s Alpha particle scattering experiment?
- most particles passes straight through the thin gold foil without scattering. About 1/2000 were scattered
- Very few alpha particles were deflected at angles greater than 90 degrees (1/10,000)
- led to the nuclear model of the atom - the atom is mostly empty space with the mass concentrated in a small nucleus. The nucleus has a positive charge because it repelled the alpha particles.
How did Rutherford calculate an upper limit for the radius of a gold nucleus?
- used alpha particles of kinetic energy 1.2x10^-12 J
- the distance d of closest approach between the alpha particle and the gold nucleus can be calculated using the idea of conservation of energy. At this distance, the alpha particle momentarily stops, therefore
- initial KE of alpha particle = electrical potential energy at distance d
- KE = Qq/4pie0d
When are X - rays produced?
Fast moving electrons are decelerated by interaction with atoms of a metal such as tungsten. The kinetic energy of the electrons in transformed into the X - ray photons.
What is an X - ray tube made of?
an evacuated tube containing two electrodes. An external power supply creates a large p.d. between the electrodes. The cathode is a heater, which produces electrons by thermionic emission. These electrons are accelerated towards the anode.
What is Bremsstrahlung?
Breaking radiation. The range of decelerations of the electrons inside the X - ray tube produces a broad background of breaking radiation.
What is attenuation?
The decrease in intensity of an electromagnetic radiation as it passes through matter.
What are the attenuation mechanisms for X - rays?
Simple scatter
Photoelectric effect
Compton scattering
Pair production
How does simple scatter cause the attenuation of X - rays?
1-20keV photons interact with an electron in the atom, but has less energy than the energy required to remove the electron, so the X - ray photon scatters. Hospital machines use p.d.s greater than 20kV, so this mechanism is insignificant for hospital radiography.
How does the photoelectric effect cause the attenuation of X -rays?
Significant for X ray photons less than 100 keV. The photon is absorbed by one of the electrons in the atom. The electron uses this energy to escape the atom. This is the dominant attenuation mechanism in hospital because the machines use 30-100kV supplies.
How does Compton scattering cause the attenuation of X - rays?
Significant for photons with energy 0.5-5MeV. The incoming X - ray photon interacts with an electron in the atom. The electron is ejected from the atom, but the photon does not disappear completely - instead it is scattered with reduced energy.
How does pair production cause the attenuation of X - rays?
Occurs when photons have energy equal or greater than 1.02 MeV. An x- ray photon interacts with the nucleus of the atom. It disappears and the electromagnetic energy of the photon is used to create an electron and a positron.