nuclear physics

Question 1

what is dead time in a Geiger Muller counter

Answer 1

the minimum time interval that two consecutive counts must be separated in order to be recorded as two different events

Question 2

what substance can be used as a moderator in a nuclear reactor?

Answer 2

water

Question 3

The Rutherford scattering experiment led to the discovery of

Answer 3

the nucleus

Question 4

Suggest why the method of carbon dating is likely to be unreliable if a sample is less than 200 years old

Answer 4

the small drop / change in activity / count-rate

Question 5

Suggest why the method of carbon dating is likely to be unreliable if a sample is more than 60000 years old

Answer 5

the activity would be very small / comparable to the background
or there is very little decay

Question 6

what is half life?

Answer 6

the amount of time taken for the number of unstable nuclei to half

Question 7

what is the relationship between half life and alpha particle energy?

Answer 7

inversely proportional

Question 8

what is the purpose of a moderator in a nuclear reactor?

Answer 8

to slow down or absorb neutrons

the moderator slows down neutrons through elastic collisions