Radioactivity and Particles

Question 1

What does the nucleus of an atom contain?

Answer 1

protons and neutrons

Question 2

What is the charge of electrons?

Answer 2

negative

Question 3

What do electrons do?

Answer 3

Whizz around the outside of the atom

Question 4

What is the number of protons in the nucleus called?

Answer 4

The atomic number/proton number

Question 5

The total number of protons and neutrons in the nucleus is called…

Answer 5

The mass number

Question 6

What are isotopes?

Answer 6

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

Question 7

Name an unstable isotope of carbon

Answer 7

Carbon-14

Question 8

When do the nuclei of unstable isotopes break down?

Answer 8

at random, spontaneously in its own good time

Question 9

Do factors such as temperature affect the decay?

Answer 9

no

Question 10

Sources of background radiation

Answer 10

substances on earth i.e food, building materials, soil, rocks
space (cosmic rays)
living things
human activity i.e nuclear waste and nuclear explosions

Question 11

What does nuclear radiation cause?

Answer 11

ionisation

Question 12

How does nuclear radian cause ionisation?

Answer 12

By bashing into atoms and knocking electrons off them

Question 13

The further the radiation can penetrate before hitting an atom and getting stopped…

Answer 13

the less damaging it will do along the way and so the less ionising it is

Question 14

What are Alpha particles made up of?

Answer 14

2 protons

2 neutrons

Question 15

What are Alpha particles like?

Answer 15

big
heavy
slow moving

Question 16

Are alpha particles stopped easily?

Answer 16

yes

Question 17

Why do alpha particles create lots of ions?

Answer 17

Because of their size they are strongly ionising

Question 18

How can we detect ionising radiation?

Answer 18

With photographic film or a Gieger-Muller detector

Question 19

What charge are Alpha Particles?

Answer 19

positive

Question 20

What are Alpha particles deflected by?

Answer 20

electric and magnetic fields

Question 21

What happens to the nucleus of an Alpha particle when you emit one?

Answer 21

decreases the atomic number of the nucleus by 2 and the mass number by 4

Question 22

Name the three kinds of radioactivity

Answer 22

Alpha
Beta
Gamma

Question 23

What are Alpha Particles?

Answer 23

Helium Nuclei

Question 24

What are Beta particles?

Answer 24

Electrons

Question 25

What happens to the nucleus after a beta particle is emitted?

Answer 25

Number of protons increases by 1 SO
The atomic number increases by 1
Mass number stays the same

Question 26

What charge is Beta?

Answer 26

negative

Question 27

Are Beta particles deflected by electric and magnetic fields?

Answer 27

yes

Question 28

What are Beta particles like?

Answer 28

small and fast

Question 29

What are Gamma Rays?

Answer 29

Very short wavelength EM Waves

Question 30

What mass do gamma rays have?

Answer 30

NONE - no charge

Question 31

Are Gamma rays ionising?

Answer 31

weakly - they tend to pass through rather than collide with atoms

Question 32

Do gamma rays get deflected by magnetic or electric fields?

Answer 32

no - no charge

Question 33

When does gamma emission happen

Answer 33

after alpha or beta decay

never get just gamma rays emitted

Question 34

Do Gamma rays have any effect in atomic mass or numbers of the isotope?

Answer 34

no

Question 35

What are Alpha particles blocked by?

Answer 35

paper, skin, few centimetres of air

Question 36

What are Beta particles blocked by?

Answer 36

thin metal

Question 37

What are gamma rays blocked by?

Answer 37

thick lead or very think concrete

Question 38

What is half life?

Answer 38

The time it takes for the level of radioactivity to half