Particle Physics Flashcards
The 3 conservation laws observed in nuclear reactions
Conservation of mass - energy
Conservation of momentum
Conservation of charge
Law of conservation of mass - energy
E = mc^2
if mass is lost in a nuclear reaction it will be converted to energy and energy may be converted to mass.
the total mass - energy total will remain the same
Law of conservation of momentum
in any interaction between two particles in a closed system the total momentum before the interaction ewuals the total momentum after the interaction
Law of conservation of charge
In a nuclear reaction the total amount of electric charge before the reaction equals the total amount of electric charge after the reaction
normal unit of energy
joule
J
teeny tiny unit of energy
eV
electron volt
1 eV =
1.6 x 10^-19 joules
1 keV =
1 x 10^3
1 MeV =
1 x 10^6
1 GeV =
1 x 10^9
what page in the maths tables can you find milli, kilo, giga etc.
pg 45
normal unit of mass
kg
teeny tiny unit of mass
u
u
unified atomic mass unit
where can you find the charge on the electron (same as eV to joule)
pg 46
where can you find the conversion of u to kg
pg 47 of the maths tables
how to find the energy of a mass converted to energy
E = mc squared
put everything in joules and then kg and then convert back if asked for it
how to calculate the energy released in a nuclear equation
mass of first nucleus - (mass of second nucleus + mass of emitted particle) = m
e = mc squared
where does most of the kinetic energy released in a nuclear equation go?
as kinetic energy
how do you get the ratio of kinetic energies
kinetic energy 1 / kinetic energy 2
what should get nearly all of the energy
the smallest particle
if the momentum of the electron (beta particle) differs before and after, what is needed
a new particle, the neutrino
who proved that E=mc squared
walton and Cockcroft
walton and Cockcroft experiment
they bombarded lithium with protons
walton and Cockcroft experiment: first thing they did
protons were produced in a hydrogen discharge tube and were fed into an accelerator tube
walton and Cockcroft experiment: what accelerated the protons?
a voltage of the order 700,000
walton and Cockcroft experiment: how did the protons hit the lithium target?
at an angle of 45º
walton and Cockcroft experiment: how were the particles emitted?
in opposite directions at right angles to the protons
walton and Cockcroft experiment: what did the emitted particles cause?
scintillations at a fluorescent screen
walton and Cockcroft experiment: how were the scintillations observed?
with the help of a microscope
walton and Cockcroft experiment: what were the emitted particles?
nuclei of helium (alpha particles)
walton and Cockcroft experiment: equation
L7 + H -> He + He + energy
walton and Cockcroft experiment: what was noted about the energies
the energy of the emitted alpha particles was far greater than the energy of the incoming protons
walton and Cockcroft experiment: what did the inconsistency in energies show?
that energy had been obtained from mass
transmutation
changing one element into another
who performed the first transmutation and equation
rutherford
He + N14 -> O27 + H
walton and Cockcroft experiment: what achievement did they carry out?
the first transmutation using artificially accelerated particles
what does a linear accelerator do?
it successively accelerates electrons as they pass through a set of cylindrical electrodes
linear accelerator: what is applied to the electrodes
an alternating current is applied to each electrode so that it is positive as electrons approach and negative as electrons leave it
linear accelerator: where are the electrons accelerated?
at the gaps
when does the length of an accelerator not need to be so long?
when particles are allowed to follow a circular path
cyclotron: how do the particles move?
a magnetic field is applied perpendicularly to the 2 semi circular shaped cavities in which the charged particles will move
cyclotron: what happens when the charged particle from the source enters the magnetic field?
it follows a circular path
cyclotron: how do you ensure that the particle accelerates each time it crosses the gap?
an alternating voltage is applied across the 2 semi circles
cyclotron: what happens as the charged particle gains speed
the radius of its circular motion increases and it spirals outwards from the source
cyclotron: equation for radius
r = mv/Bq
what happens when the charged particle gets to the edge of the cyclotron
it leaves and gets fired at its target
2 advantages of circular accelerators
- they are more compact than linear accelerators
- they accelerate particles at higher speeds than linear particles do
if the reaction takes place in a cloud chamber?
a magnetic field will cause the 2 particles (1 is charged negatively and one is charged positively) to be deflected in opposite directions