Radiation

Question 1

What are the fuel rods in a nuclear reactor made from?

Answer 1

Uranium

Question 2

What are the control rods in a nuclear reactor made from?

Answer 2

Boron Cadmium

Question 3

What is the moderator of a nuclear reactor made from?

Answer 3

Heavy Water Graphite

Question 4

What is the shielding of a nuclear reactor made from?

Answer 4

Lead

Question 5

What is the name of the process occuring in a nuclear reactor?

Answer 5

Fission Nuclear Fission

Question 6

A nuclear reactor is self-sustaining. What is this type of reaction called?

Answer 6

Chain reaction

Question 7

What is used to trigger a nuclear fission reaction?

Answer 7

Slow moving neutron

Question 8

How many neutrons (on average) are produced by a single nuclear fission?

Answer 8

3

Question 9

What are the nuclei produced by nuclei fission called?

Answer 9

Daughter nuclei

Question 10

What does the fuel rod do in a nuclear reactor?

Answer 10

Holds the fuel to allow the reaction to take place

Question 11

What does the moderator in a nuclear reactor do?

Answer 11

Reduces the speed of neutrons to increase the rate of reaction

Question 12

What do the control rods in a nuclear reactor do?

Answer 12

Removes neutrons from the reactor to reduce the rate of reaction or stop the reaction.

Question 13

Why is shielding necessary on a nuclear reactor?

Answer 13

Reactor material is radioactive. Radiation causes cancer. Radiation is very penetrating.

Question 14

What form does nuclear fission convert energy into?

Answer 14

Kinetic

Question 15

Explain how nuclear fission can lead to a chain reaction.

Answer 15

Neutrons released. Slowed by moderator. Absorbed by OTHER uranium nuclei. Causing further fissions.

Question 16

State a source of background radiation.

Answer 16

Rocks Radon Cosmic rays Medical sources Carbon atoms in living creatures

Question 17

How do I correct an experiment for background radiation.

Answer 17

Do experiment without radioactive source. Measure background count. Repeat and take an average. Subtract this average value from the experimental values.

Question 18

Why do we use beta sources as medical tracers?

Answer 18

Penetration depth large enough to get through the skin and be detected outside the body.

Question 19

What material blocks alpha radiation?

Answer 19

Paper Skin

Question 20

What material blocks beta radiation?

Answer 20

Aluminium Foil

Question 21

What material reduces gamma radiation?

Answer 21

Lead Lots of concrete

Question 22

Which radiation has the largest penetration depth?

Answer 22

Gamma

Question 23

Which radiation has the shortest penetration depth?

Answer 23

Alpha

Question 24

Which radiation is the most ionising?

Answer 24

Alpha

Question 25

Which radiation is the least ionising?

Answer 25

Gamma

Question 26

What is an isotope?

Answer 26

An atom with the same number of protons but a different number of neutrons.

Question 27

What is the mass number of a nucleus?

Answer 27

The number of protons plus neutrons

Question 28

What is the atomic number of a nucleus?

Answer 28

The number of protons.

Question 29

An isotope alpha decays. What happens to the mass number?

Answer 29

-4

Question 30

An isotope alpha decays. What happens to the proton number?

Answer 30

-2

Question 31

An isotope beta decays. What happens to the mass number?

Answer 31

Nothing

Question 32

An isotope beta decays. What happens to the proton number?

Answer 32

1

Question 33

What is an alpha particle?

Answer 33

2 protons 2 neutrons bound together He-4 nucleus

Question 34

What is a beta particle?

Answer 34

electron

Question 35

What is gamma radiation?

Answer 35

High frequency EM radiation

Question 36

What is a non-medical application of alpha?

Answer 36

A smoke detector

Question 37

Why is alpha suitable for use in smoke detectors?

Answer 37

It is blocked by smoke but not by air.