Exam 34: Geometric Optics

Nuclear binding energy: The following masses are known: n (neutron) 1.008665 u H 1.007825 u Fe 56.935399 u What is the binding energy of Fe, in MeV? (1 u = 1.6605 × 10^-27 kg = 931.5 MeV/c²)

Radioactive decay: The material used in certain nuclear bombs is ²³⁹Pu, which has a half-life of about 20,000 years. How long must we wait for a buried stockpile of this substance to decay to 4.0% of its original ²³⁹Pu mass?

Properties of the nucleus: For a Nb atom, the number of protons, neutrons, and electrons in the atom is

Properties of the nucleus: What would be the expected radius of a nucleus having 82 protons and 125 neutrons?

Properties of the nucleus: Which of the following statements about the strong nuclear force are correct? (There may be more than one correct choice.)

Nuclear binding energy: The set of nuclear reactions that power our sun can be summarized a 4p⁺ → ⁴He⁺² + 2e⁺. The masses of the particles involved are 938.272 MeV/c² (proton, p⁺), 3727.38 MeV/c² (alpha particle, ⁴He⁺²), and 0.511 MeV/c² (positron, e⁺). How much energy is released by each set of these reactions?

Properties of the nucleus: If a nucleus had a diameter of 8.0 fm, what would be its expected mass, in atomic mass units?

Nuclear binding energy: Uranium-238 decays into thorium-234 plus an alpha particle. How much energy is released in this process? 1 u = 931.494 MeV/c², and the relevant mass values are He: 4.002603 u Th: 234.043583 u U: 238.050786 u

Radioactive decay: A radioactive isotope decays by β^- emission with a half-life of 1.0 min. During the first 1.0 min, a particular sample emits 1000 β^- particles. During the next 1.0 min, the number of β^- particles this sample will emit will be closest to