Physics Nuclear Physics 6.1 - 6.5 Flashcards

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1
Q

Explain what the nucleon number is

A

It is the sum of all the particles within the nucleus which can also be called mass number

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2
Q

If a stable atom has 4 protons, how many electrons does it have?

A

It has 4 electrons, the number of protons is always equal to the number of electrons unless it has lost some electrons. An atom can never lose protons

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3
Q

What does the 12 and 6 stand for in ¹²C₆

A

The 12 is the nucleon number or mass number and the 6 is the proton number or atomic number

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4
Q

What is ionization

A

Ionization is when an atom loses an electron or gains an electron to become either a positive or negatively charged ion

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5
Q

How does ionization happen

A

Ionization happens when an electron gains too much energy from electromagnetic radiation and jumps off it’s shell leaving the atom which then becomes a positive ion, or an electron could jump onto one of the shells of the atom causing it to become a negative ion

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6
Q

How does the symbol of a lithium + ion look like

A

One less electron on its shells which leaves an empty shell

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7
Q

What charge does a proton, electron, and neutron have respectively?

A

Proton: +1
Electron: -1
Neutron: no charge or 0

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8
Q

Name 4 things an unstable isotope could emit

A

Alpha, Beta, or gamma radiation and neutrons

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9
Q

What is alpha radiation and what are alpha particles

A

Alpha radiation is when an atom decays and emits two electrons and two protons forming an alpha particle. They can barely penetrate a sheet of paper due to its large size but is strongly ionizing because it can easily knock an electron off a shell due to it’s size. It has the same nucleus as a helium atom and has a charge of +2 because they have no electrons at all. They don’t travel far in air

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10
Q

What is beta radiation and what are beta particles

A

Beta radiation happens when a neutron decays into a proton and an electron which then gets thrown at high speeds leaving the proton at the nucleus. This electron is the beta particle having a charge of -1. It is moderately ionizing due to it’s size and can require 5mm of aluminum to stop it. They can travel several meters in air

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11
Q

What is gamma radiation

A

Gamma radiation is extra electromagnetic radiation that is usually emitted after a decay happens. Gamma radiation or gamma rays have no mass, no charge and have the weakest ionizing effect and can travel far

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12
Q

What causes neutron radiation?

A

When an atom has too many neutrons causing it to become unstable, it can emit a neutron to make it more stable

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13
Q

What happens during the alpha decay of Uranium 238?

A

It loses 4 from its nucleon number or mass number and 2 from its proton number or atomic number because it emits 2 electrons and 2 protons

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14
Q

What happens during the beta decay of Uranium 238?

A

Its nucleon or mass number remains the same as the neutron that decayed was replaced by a proton but its proton number increases adding to those that were originally there.

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15
Q

What happens during the gamma decay of uranium 238

A

Basically nothing, uranium 238 becomes uranium 238 + a gamma ray because gamma rays are basically just energy

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16
Q

What happens during the neutron emission of uranium 238

A

It loses a neutron, reducing its mass/ nucleon number by 1

17
Q

What is radioactive activity and what are its units

A

Radioactive activity is the number of decays that happen in a sample per second measured in becquerels

18
Q

What is half life

A

Half life is the time it takes for either the activity to halve or the amount of atoms in a sample to halve due to decay

19
Q

What instrument is used to measure radioactive activity?

A

Geiger muller counter

20
Q

Does decay happen random or regular intervals

A

Random