Particles 1

Question 1

What particle do you write is emitted in beta plus/minus decay equations

Answer 1

A beta particle, don’t say electron

Question 2

What are the mass and atomic numbers in particle equations referring to

Answer 2

mass number is relative mass of the particle

atomic number is relative charge of the particle

Question 3

Where can you find the rest energies in MeV of particles

Answer 3

formula sheet

Question 4

How do you know if electron diffraction is possible

Answer 4

• Find the de Broglie wavelength of the electron
• Substitute into
  nlambda=dsinx
• If x is a positive angle, it is possible for the diffraction to occur

Question 5

How do you refer to relative charge

Answer 5

in terms of e
e.g. If the charge 3.2x10^-19 and they ask for relative charge, say +2(e)

Question 6

What are the characteristics of a strange particle

Answer 6

1) usually created in pairs
2) Decays into a combination of pion, proton and neutron
3) Decays via the weak interaction
4) Half life is unusually long (don’t say long life span)

Question 7

How do you calculate how much the mass has changed during an reaction, given the energy released and the speed of light

Answer 7

change in mass = change in energy/(speed of light ^2)

Question 8

What are the constituents of an atom

Answer 8

proton, neutron, electron