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GCSE Physics > Radiation > Flashcards

Radiation Flashcards

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1
Q

Describe the arrangement of subatomic particles in a atom

A

A positively charged nucleus consisting of protons and neutrons surrounded by negatively charged electrons.

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2
Q

What is an ion?

A

An atom that has gained or lost electrons to become charged

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3
Q

Who proposed the plum pudding model?

A

J.J Thompson

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4
Q

Describe the plum pudding model

A

A positively charged sphere with negatively charged electrons embedded in it

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5
Q

Describe what happened in Rutherford’s alpha particle scattering experiment

A
  • Alpha particles were fired at gold foil suspended in a vacuum
  • Most alpha particles passed straight through the foil
  • A small amount were deflected as they passed through the foil
  • A very small amount came straight back off the foil
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6
Q

What did Rutherford discover from his alpha particle scattering experiment?

A
  • Most of the atom is empty space
  • There is a concentration of positive charge in the atom
  • The positive charge and mass was concentrated in a tiny volume in the atom (the nucleus)
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7
Q

What did J.J Thompson discover?

A

Electrons

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8
Q

What did Niels Bohr change about Rutherford’s version of the nuclear model?

A

Electrons were only allowed to occupy particular orbits

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9
Q

What is an atom?

A

A positively charged nucleus of protons and neutrons surrounded by negatively charged electrons

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10
Q

Compare the size of the nucleus to the size of the whole atom

A

Nuclear radius is much smaller than the atom as a whole

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11
Q

Where is most of the mass stored in an atom?

A

The nucleus

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12
Q

What is an isotope?

A

An atom with the same atomic number but a different atomic mass to that of a typical atom of that element

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13
Q

Why does an isotope have a different atomic mass?

A

It has a different number of neutrons

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14
Q

Was charge does a nucleus have?

A

Positive

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15
Q

What is the charge of a proton?

A

+1

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16
Q

What is the charge of a neutron?

A

0

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17
Q

What is the charge of an electron?

A

-1

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18
Q

What is the relative atomic mass of a
proton?

A

1

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19
Q

What is the relative atomic mass of a neutron?

A

1

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20
Q

What is the relative atomic mass of an electron?

A

1
——-
1835

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21
Q

What is the relative atomic mass of a positron?

A

1
——-
1835

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22
Q

What is the charge of a positron?

A

+1

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23
Q

Electrons _____ around the nucleus

A

Orbit

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24
Q

What happens to electrons if EM radiation is absorbed or emitted?

A

It will change orbit

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25
Q

How are positive ions formed?

A

By an atom losing electrons

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26
Q

What are the different ionising radiation types?

A
  • Alpha
  • Beta minus (ß-)
  • Positron (ß+)
  • Gamma
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27
Q

Describe the structure of an alpha particle

A

The same as a helium nucleus: two protons, two neutrons

28
Q

Which type of radiation is the most ionising?

A

Alpha

29
Q

What type of radiation is stopped by paper?

A

Alpha radiation

30
Q

What happens in beta minus decay (ß-)?

A

A neutron will turn into proton and emit an electron

31
Q

What type of radiation is stopped by thin aluminium?

A

Beta minus (ß-)

32
Q

What is radioactive activity measured in?

A

Becquerels (Bq)

33
Q

What happens during positron decay?

A

A proton turns into a neutron and a positron is emitted from the nucleus

34
Q

What is a positron?

A

A positively charged electron

35
Q

What happens once a positron is emitted?

A

It is immediately annihilated

36
Q

What is the most penetrating form of ionising radiation?

A

Gamma radiation

37
Q

What is the most dangerous type of radiation if inside a human?

A

Alpha

38
Q

What type of radiation is only stopped by thick lead?

A

Gamma radiation

39
Q

What happens to the nucleus of an atom when it emits a gamma ray?

A

Nothing

40
Q

Where is ionising radiation emitted from?

A

Unstable nuclei

41
Q

What is neutron emission?

A

When a neutron is emitted from the nucleus of an atom

42
Q

What is background radiation?

A

The amount of ionising radiation from natural and artificial sources

43
Q

Name 4 sources of background radiation

A
  • Radon gas
  • Food & drink
  • Medical uses
  • Cosmic radiation
44
Q

What piece of equipment can be used to measure the level of radiation?

A

Geiger-Müller tube (Geiger Counter)

45
Q

What happens to the radioactivity of a source over time?

A

It decreases

46
Q

What is half life?

A

The time taken for the activity from a radioisotope to decrease by half
OR
The time taken for the number of radioactive nuclei in a sample to decrease by half

47
Q

What is nuclear fission?

A

The splitting of a large atomic nucleus into smaller nuclei

48
Q

Describe what happens in a nuclear reactor

A
  • A neutron is absorbed into a Uranium-235 nucleus causing it to become unstable
  • It splits into 2 daughter nuclei and releases 2-3 neutrons
  • This causes a chain reaction
49
Q

What are the advantages of using nuclear power to generate electricity?

A
  • No CO2 emissions
  • Low fuel costs
  • Power station has long lifetime
50
Q

What are the disadvantages of using nuclear power to generate electricity?

A
  • Negative public perception
  • Radioactive waste disposal is difficult and expensive
  • High cost to build and decommission
  • Large scale accidents can be catastrophic
51
Q

How is nuclear fission used to generate power?

A

Energy from neutrons is passed on to other components to heat water to turn turbines to generate electricity

52
Q

How are nuclear chain reactions controlled?

A

With a moderator and control rods

53
Q

What is nuclear fusion?

A

When two smaller nuclei join together to make one heavier nucleus, accompanied by a release of energy

54
Q

What is the energy source for stars?

A

Nuclear fusion

55
Q

Why can’t nuclear fusion happen at low temperatures or pressures?

A

Due to the electrostatic repulsion of the protons in the nuclei

56
Q

Why isn’t nuclear fusion a viable source of energy on Earth currently?

A

Due to the high temperatures and pressures required, more energy is used to create the reaction than can be usefully harnessed

57
Q

Name some uses of radioactivity

A
  • In smoke alarms
  • For irradiating food
  • For sterilisation of equipment
  • Cancer diagnosis and treatment
58
Q

How does the irridation of food work using radiation?

A
  • Food is exposed to a radoactive souce eg. Cobalt-60
  • This will emmit gamma rays
  • The gamma rays kill all bacteria present
  • This will preserve the food for longer
59
Q

What causes atoms to decay?

A

Them becoming unstable

60
Q

When an atom becomes unstable, what happens?

A

It decays

61
Q

How do smoke alarms work?

A
  • Alpha particles are present that ionise the air
  • These ions carry an electric charge
  • Smoke will slow down the ions, reducing the current, setting off the alarm
62
Q

How is radiation used to measure thickness?

A
  • Radiation fired through material
  • The amount of radioactive particles that go through determines the thickness
63
Q

Which type of radiation is an antimatter particle?

A

Positron

64
Q

What does a moderator do?

A

Slow down neutrons

65
Q

What do control rods do?

A

Lower to absorb neutrons to slow down the reaction

GCSE Physics (9 decks)

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