Particles And Radiation

Question 1

What is specific charge?

Answer 1

The ratio of charge to mass

Question 2

What is an isotope?

Answer 2

A form of an element’s atom with the same proton number but a different number of neutrons

Question 3

At what range does the strong nuclear force act on nucleons attractively?

Answer 3

3fm - 0.5fm

Question 4

At separations smaller than ___ the strong nuclear force is repulsive

Answer 4

0.5fm

Question 5

What does the strong nuclear force have to overcome in order to hold nucleons together?

Answer 5

Electrostatic repulsion between positively charged protons

Question 6

What happens during beta minus decay?

Answer 6

● A neutron turns into a proton
● It then emits an electron and an electron antineutrino

Question 7

What happens during Beta plus decay?

Answer 7

● A proton turns into a neutron
● It then emits a positron and an electron neutrino

Question 8

What happens during Alpha decay?

Answer 8

A helium nucleus is emitted

Question 9

What is the equation for the energy of a photon?

Answer 9

E = hc/λ

Question 10

What is an antiparticle?

Answer 10

A particle with the same mass and rest energy as its counterpart, but opposite charges and quantum numbers

Question 11

What does a particle and corresponding antipartocle do to each other?

Answer 11

Annihilate each other, releasing two photons

Question 12

In annihilation, why must the emitted photons go in different directions?

Answer 12

To conserve momentum

Question 13

In pair production, what happens when a photon interacts with a nucleus?

Answer 13

Its energy is converted into the mass of a particle and corresponding antiparticle

Question 14

What are the 4 fundamental interactions?

Answer 14

Weak nuclear, strong nuclear, electromagnetic, gravity

Question 15

What are exchange particles?

Answer 15

Force carriers for the fundamental forces

Question 16

What does the size of an exchange particle determine?

Answer 16

The range of the force - bigger the particle, shorter the range

Question 17

Describe the process of electron capture

Answer 17

● A proton captures an inner shell electron
● Turns into a neutron and electron neutrino
● A W+ boson is exchanged in the process

Question 18

Describe the process of electron-proton collision

Answer 18

● Proton and Electron collide
● A W- boson is exchanged
● Electron turns into an electron neutrino
● Proton turns into a neutron

Question 19

What fundamental force do Hadrons interact by?

Answer 19

Strong nuclear

Question 20

How many quarks are baryons made from?

Answer 20

3

Question 21

What particle do all baryons decay into?

Answer 21

Proton

Question 22

What is the only stable baryon?

Answer 22

The proton

Question 23

What are the only two baryons you need to know?

Answer 23

Proton and Neutron

Question 24

What are the two advantages of using high-energy electrons for estimating nuclear radii, rather than alpha particles?

Answer 24

● They have a smaller mass
● They can penetrate deeper into the nucleus

Question 25

What is one application of annihilation?

Answer 25

In a PET scanner

Question 26

How many joules is 1MeV?

Answer 26

1.6×10^-13

Question 27

When is a W boson exchanged?

Answer 27

During interactions involving the weak force (e.g. Beta decay, electron capture)

Question 28

When is a W boson exchanged?

Answer 28

During interactions involving the weak force (e.g. Beta decay, electron capture)