Particles

Question 1

Nucleon number

Answer 1

Total number of protons and neutrons

Question 2

What is an isotope?

Answer 2

Atoms with the same number of protons but different number of neutrons

Question 3

What is Specific Charge?

Answer 3

The ratio of its charge to its mass given in coulombs per kilogram.

Question 4

What is the strong nuclear force?

Answer 4

A force that holds protons and neutrons together to maintain a stable nucleus
• Can be an attractive at 3fm or a repulsive force less than 0.5 fm
• Has very short range 0.5 and 3fm
• Overcomes the repulsion between the protons
•Exchange particle pion

Question 5

What is the electromagnetic force?

Answer 5

The force that controls interaction between charged particles.
• Has inifinte range
• Exchange particle is a photon

Question 6

Beta minus decay

Answer 6

Neutron turns into a proton then releases an electron + antineutrino

Question 7

Beta plus decay

Answer 7

Proton turns into a neutron then releases a positron

Question 8

Neutrino

Answer 8

Subatomic particle whose existence was hypothesised to maintain the conservation pf energy in beta decay

Question 9

Electron capture

Answer 9

Process in which a proton in a proton-rich nucleus turns into a neutron as a result of interacting through the weak interaction with an inner-shell electron

Question 10

Electron volt

Answer 10

work done to accelerate an electron through a potential difference of 1V. 1eV is equal to the charge of an electron

Question 11

Gauge Boson

Answer 11

The exchange particles that transmit the four fundamental interactions between particles

Question 12

Weak nuclear force

Answer 12

A force that acts in the nucleus to change the quark type. Controls decays in the nucleus. Only acts over the distance of the nucleus

Question 13

Alpha decay

Answer 13

The process of an unstable nucleus emitting an alpha particle (two protons and two neutrons) to become more stable.

Question 14

What is a photon?

Answer 14

Packets (waves) of energy

Question 15

Hadrons

Answer 15

Particles that interact through the strong interaction

Question 16

Leptons

Answer 16

A group of elementary subatomic particles, consisting of electrons, muons and neutrinos

Question 17

Annihilation

Answer 17

A particle and its antiparticle collide and get converted into energy. Energy is released into 2 photons to conserve momentum

Question 18

Antiparticle

Answer 18

All particles have a corresponding particle with the same mass but opposite charge and conservation numbers

Question 19

Baryon

Answer 19

A class of hadron, that’s made up of 3 quarks. Proton is the only stable baryon

Question 20

Electron diffraction

Answer 20

Spreading of electrons as they pass through a gap similar to the magnitude of their de broglie wavelength. Evidence of wave-like properties of particles

Question 21

Energy levels

Answer 21

Defined and distinct energies at which electrons can exist in an atom An electron can’t exist between energy levels

Question 22

Excitation

Answer 22

The process of an electron taking in exactly the right quantity of energy to move to a higher energy level

Question 23

Ground state

Answer 23

Most stable energy level an electron can exist in

Question 24

Isotopic data

Answer 24

Data from isotopes that can be used for a purpose, such as carbon dating

Question 25

Kaon

Answer 25

Meson that decays into pions

Question 26

Lepton number

Answer 26

A quantum number that’s conserved in all particle interactions. Both electron lepton numbers and muon lepton numbers mist be conserved

Question 27

Meson

Answer 27

A class of hadron that is made up of a quark and antiquark pair

Question 28

Pair production

Answer 28

Process of sufficiently high-energy photon converting into a particle and its corresponding antiparticle. To conserve momentum, this usually occurs near a nucleus

Question 29

Pion

Answer 29

A type of meson and the exchange particle for the strong nuclear force

Question 30

Positron

Answer 30

A positively charged particle that is the antiparticle of an electron

Question 31

Strange particles

Answer 31

Particles that are produced through the strong interaction but decays through the weak interaction

Question 32

Strangeness

Answer 32

A quantum number that is conserved in strong interaction but not in weak interactions. This reflects that strange particles are always produced in pairs.

Question 33

Threshold frequency

Answer 33

The minimums frequency of photons required for photoelectrons to be emitted from the surface of a metal plate through the photoelectric effect. It’s equal to the metal’s work function divided by Planck’s constant.