P H Y S I C S Flashcards
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What is the charge of an alpha particle?
2
Name the radiation emitted from radioactive materials that consist of high-speed electrons.
Beta radiation
True or false? It is safe to handle sources of alpha particles with bare hands as the radiation only travels a few mm in air.
False
Can electromagnetic radiation affect the electron arrangement of an atom?
Yes
What is the name of the medical condition humans can get that involves uncontrolled cell division if they are exposed to too much ionising radiation over a period of time?
Cancer
True or false. Most of an atom is empty space.
True
True or false? It is not possible to predict when a particular atom of a radioactive substance will undergo decay.
True
What name is given to the process by which radioactive atoms break down and change into a different type of atom?
Radioactive decay
Beta radiation consists of what type of sub-atomic particle?
Electrons
How many electrons does an alpha particle contain?
0
Which type of radiation emitted by radioactive atoms has the least ionising power?
Gamma radiation
Substances that give out radiation from the nuclei of their atoms all the time are said to be… what?
Radioactive
Unstable
What type of radiation has the greatest range in air?
Gamma
Name the type of radiation given out by radioactive substances that is the most ionising.
Alpha
True or false? Beta particles come from the electron shells surrounding a radioactive nucleus.
False
Which type of ionising radiation has no charge?
Gamma radiation
Which type of ionising radiation is the most dangerous if swallowed?
Alpha
Name the type of nuclear radiation that is used in smoke alarms.
Alpha
An underground pipe is suspected to contain a blockage. A radioactive tracer is put into the pipe to assess the situation. What type of radiation will be given off by this tracer? Why is this tracer chosen?
Gamma radiation
Gamma radiation can pass through the pipe and ground to reach the detector.
What word completes this sentence? Gamma rays are given out by the __________ of certain radioactive materials.
nucleus
nuclei
What is the name given to an isotope if its nucleus is unstable?
Radioactive
Radioactive isotope
Radioisotope
True or false? All isotopes are radioactive.
False
What is the missing word? Ionising radiation is emitted all the time by __________ sources.
radioactive
What happens if an alpha particle transfers sufficient energy to an atom?
The atom may eject an electron and become a positively charged ion.
A Geiger-Muller (GM) tube can be used to detect ionising radiation. How many alpha particles entering the GM tube are needed to make the counter advance by one?
1
What unit of radioactivity is being described here: “The activity of a quantity of radioactive material in which one nucleus decays per second.”
Becquerel
Bq
True or false? 10g of a radioactive isotope has an activity of 15 Bq. Therefore it can be predicted that 20g of the same isotope will have an activity of 30 Bq.
True
Fill in the missing word. The activity of a radioactive isotope is __________ proportional to its half-life.
inversely
How many half-lives would have to pass before the radioactivity of an isotope falls to less than 1% of its original value?
7
True or false? Gamma radiation can be deflected.
False
A gas will turn back into a liquid faster if the temperature of the gas is… what?
Decreased
What is the name given to the change in state from gas to solid?
Deposition
What is the name given to the change in state from solid to gas?
Sublimation
Internal energy is the energy stored inside a system by the __________ that make up the system.
Particles
Atoms
Molecules
The heat of an object is a measure of the amount of __________ energy it contains. What is the missing word in this sentence?
Thermal
What is the unit for measuring thermal energy?
J
Joules
True or false? During a change of state, the temperature of the substance does not change.
True
What is the unit for specific latent heat? Give your answer in symbols, not words (for example, “m/s”)
J/kg
