Question 1

The binding energy of a nucleus is equal to

Accepted Answer

A) the energy needed to remove one of the nucleons. 
B) the average energy with which any nucleon is bound in the nucleus. 
C) the energy needed to separate all the nucleons from each other. 
D) the mass of the nucleus times c2. 
A) the energy needed to remove one of the nucleons. 
B) the average energy with which any nucleon is bound in the nucleus. 
C) the energy needed to separate all the nucleons from each other. 
D) the mass of the nucleus times c2.

Question 2

The Q of a nuclear reaction is equal to:

Accepted Answer

A) the total charge involved. 
B) energy associated with the change in mass. 
C) energy associated with momentum conservation. 
D) the exothermic endothermy. 
A) the total charge involved. 
B) energy associated with the change in mass. 
C) energy associated with momentum conservation. 
D) the exothermic endothermy.

Question 3

Tritium is radioactive with a half-life of 12.33 years decaying into 3He with low-energy electron emission.If we have a sample of 1.91 × 1018 tritium atoms,what is its activity in decays/second? (1 year = 3.15 × 107 s)

Accepted Answer

A) 4.92E+9 decays/second 
B) 3.41E+9 decays/second 
C) 1.07E+17 decays/second 
D) 6.69E+16 decays/second 
E) ​3.41E+10 decays/second 
A) 4.92E+9 decays/second 
B) 3.41E+9 decays/second 
C) 1.07E+17 decays/second 
D) 6.69E+16 decays/second 
E) ​3.41E+10 decays/second

Question 4

What is the Q-value for the reaction where the products are 0.006 u less than the reactants? (1 u = 931.5 MeV/c2)

Accepted Answer

A) 11 MeV 
B) 22 MeV 
C) 3.9 MeV 
D) 5.6 MeV 
E) ​8.4 MeV 
A) 11 MeV 
B) 22 MeV 
C) 3.9 MeV 
D) 5.6 MeV 
E) ​8.4 MeV

Question 5

The isotope 238U,which starts one of the natural radioactive series,decays first by alpha decay followed by two negative beta decays.At this point,what is the resulting isotope?

Accepted Answer

A) 238U 
B) 236U 
C) 234Th (Z = 90 for Th. ) 
D) Some other uranium isotope not given above. 
A) 238U 
B) 236U 
C) 234Th (Z = 90 for Th. ) 
D) Some other uranium isotope not given above.

Question 6

The half-life of radioactive Technetium-99 is 6.0 hours.Find the number of 99Tc nuclei necessary to produce a sample of activity 1.9 µCi.(1 Ci = 3.7 × 1010 decays/second)

Accepted Answer

A) 5.9E-2 
B) 2.2E+9 
C) 1.5E+9 
D) 6.1E+5 
E) ​4.2E+5 
A) 5.9E-2 
B) 2.2E+9 
C) 1.5E+9 
D) 6.1E+5 
E) ​4.2E+5

Question 7

The atomic number of a given element is equivalent to which of the following?

Accepted Answer

A) proton number in the nucleus 
B) neutron number in the nucleus 
C) sum of the protons and neutrons in the nucleus 
D) number of electrons in the outer shells 
A) proton number in the nucleus 
B) neutron number in the nucleus 
C) sum of the protons and neutrons in the nucleus 
D) number of electrons in the outer shells

Question 8

The half-life of 18N is 0.62 s.What is the decay constant for this isotope?

Accepted Answer

A) 0.43 s-1 
B) 1.1 s-1 
C) 1.7 × 10-11 Ci 
D) The decay constant is not defined for a half-life of less than one second. 
A) 0.43 s-1 
B) 1.1 s-1 
C) 1.7 × 10-11 Ci 
D) The decay constant is not defined for a half-life of less than one second.

Question 9

What energy must be added or given off in a reaction where a helium atom is separated into two hydrogen atoms and two neutrons? (Atomic masses for each: hydrogen,1.007825 u;neutron,1.008665 u;helium,4.002602 u;also,1 u = 931.5 MeV/c2. )

Accepted Answer

A) 28.3 MeV given off 
B) 20.7 MeV added 
C) 20.7 MeV given off 
D) 28.3 MeV added 
A) 28.3 MeV given off 
B) 20.7 MeV added 
C) 20.7 MeV given off 
D) 28.3 MeV added

Question 10

Which of the following is not a unit of radiation dose?

Accepted Answer

A) rem 
B) roentgen 
C) rad 
D) RBE 
A) rem 
B) roentgen 
C) rad 
D) RBE

Question 11

What particle is emitted when 20Na decays to 20Ne? (atomic numbers of Na and Ne are,respectively,11 and 10)

Accepted Answer

A) alpha 
B) beta (electron) 
C) beta (positron) 
D) gamma quantum 
A) alpha 
B) beta (electron) 
C) beta (positron) 
D) gamma quantum

Question 12

The relationship  
,where A is the mass number of a nucleus and r is it radius,implies which of the following about nuclei?

Accepted Answer

A) Nuclei are cubic. 
B) Different nuclei have the same density. 
C) Neutrons in nuclei attract each other even though they have no charge. 
D) Nuclei tend to have the same ratio of protons to neutrons. 
A) Nuclei are cubic. 
B) Different nuclei have the same density. 
C) Neutrons in nuclei attract each other even though they have no charge. 
D) Nuclei tend to have the same ratio of protons to neutrons.

Question 13

If the stable nuclei are plotted with neutron number vs.proton number,the curve formed by the stable nuclei does not follow the line N = Z.This is predicted by examining how the binding energy is influenced by

Accepted Answer

A) the volume of the nucleus. 
B) the size of the nuclear surface. 
C) the Coulomb repulsion. 
D) the proton-neutron mass difference. 
A) the volume of the nucleus. 
B) the size of the nuclear surface. 
C) the Coulomb repulsion. 
D) the proton-neutron mass difference.

Question 14

What is the binding energy per nucleon of 197Au (atomic number = 79)? (The following information regarding atomic masses will be needed: 197Au,196.966 543 u;hydrogen,1.007 825 u;neutron,1.008 665 u;also 1 u = 931.5 MeV/c2)

Accepted Answer

A) 931 MeV 
B) 745 MeV 
C) 7.92 MeV 
D) 1870 MeV 
A) 931 MeV 
B) 745 MeV 
C) 7.92 MeV 
D) 1870 MeV

Question 15

If a fossil bone is found to contain 1/32 as much Carbon-14 as the bone of a living animal,what is the approximate age of the fossil? (half-life of 14C = 5 730 years)

Accepted Answer

A) 1.83E+5 years 
B) 2.87E+4 years 
C) 1.15E+3 years 
D) 5.55E+3 years 
E) ​1.79E+2 years 
A) 1.83E+5 years 
B) 2.87E+4 years 
C) 1.15E+3 years 
D) 5.55E+3 years 
E) ​1.79E+2 years

Question 16

The existence of the neutrino was postulated to account for which basic conservation laws during the beta decay process?

Accepted Answer

A) conservation of energy 
B) conservation of momentum 
C) Both choices a and b are valid. 
D) None of the above choices are valid. 
A) conservation of energy 
B) conservation of momentum 
C) Both choices a and b are valid. 
D) None of the above choices are valid.

Question 17

The isotope 64Zn has a nuclear radius of 4.8 × 10−15 m.Which of the following is the mass number of an isotope for which the nuclear radius is 3.6 × 10−15 m?

Accepted Answer

A) 3 
B) 1 
C) 9 
D) 27 
E) ​48 
A) 3 
B) 1 
C) 9 
D) 27 
E) ​48

Question 18

Approximately how many half-life periods must elapse if the activity of a radioactive isotope sample is to be reduced to 0.003 of the original value?

Accepted Answer

A) 5 
B) 4 
C) 9 
D) 16 
E) ​8 
A) 5 
B) 4 
C) 9 
D) 16 
E) ​8

Question 19

About what fraction of the initial activity of a radioactive source remains after 10 half-lives?

Accepted Answer

A) 1.0 × 10-10 
B) 9.8 × 10-4 
C) 5.0 × 10-2 
D) 3.9 × 10-3 
A) 1.0 × 10-10 
B) 9.8 × 10-4 
C) 5.0 × 10-2 
D) 3.9 × 10-3

Question 20

Certain stars at the end of their lives are thought to collapse combining their protons and electrons together to form a neutron star.Such a star could be thought of as a giant atomic nucleus.If a star of mass equal to that of the Sun (M = 1.99 × 1030 kg)collapsed into neutrons (mn = 1.67 × 10−27 kg),what would be the radius of such a star? (Hint: r = r0A1/3,where r0 = 1.20 × 10−15 m).

Accepted Answer

A) 25.4 km 
B) 18.7 km 
C) 12.7 km 
D) 6.40 km 
A) 25.4 km 
B) 18.7 km 
C) 12.7 km 
D) 6.40 km

Exam 29: Nuclear Physics

The binding energy of a nucleus is equal to

The Q of a nuclear reaction is equal to:

Tritium is radioactive with a half-life of 12.33 years decaying into 3He with low-energy electron emission.If we have a sample of 1.91 × 1018 tritium atoms,what is its activity in decays/second? (1 year = 3.15 × 107 s)

What is the Q-value for the reaction where the products are 0.006 u less than the reactants? (1 u = 931.5 MeV/c2)

The isotope 238U,which starts one of the natural radioactive series,decays first by alpha decay followed by two negative beta decays.At this point,what is the resulting isotope?

The half-life of radioactive Technetium-99 is 6.0 hours.Find the number of 99Tc nuclei necessary to produce a sample of activity 1.9 µCi.(1 Ci = 3.7 × 1010 decays/second)

The atomic number of a given element is equivalent to which of the following?

The half-life of 18N is 0.62 s.What is the decay constant for this isotope?

What energy must be added or given off in a reaction where a helium atom is separated into two hydrogen atoms and two neutrons? (Atomic masses for each: hydrogen,1.007825 u;neutron,1.008665 u;helium,4.002602 u;also,1 u = 931.5 MeV/c2. )

Which of the following is not a unit of radiation dose?

What particle is emitted when 20Na decays to 20Ne? (atomic numbers of Na and Ne are,respectively,11 and 10)

The relationship ,where A is the mass number of a nucleus and r is it radius,implies which of the following about nuclei?

If the stable nuclei are plotted with neutron number vs.proton number,the curve formed by the stable nuclei does not follow the line N = Z.This is predicted by examining how the binding energy is influenced by

What is the binding energy per nucleon of 197Au (atomic number = 79)? (The following information regarding atomic masses will be needed: 197Au,196.966 543 u;hydrogen,1.007 825 u;neutron,1.008 665 u;also 1 u = 931.5 MeV/c2)

If a fossil bone is found to contain 1/32 as much Carbon-14 as the bone of a living animal,what is the approximate age of the fossil? (half-life of 14C = 5 730 years)

The existence of the neutrino was postulated to account for which basic conservation laws during the beta decay process?

The isotope 64Zn has a nuclear radius of 4.8 × 10−15 m.Which of the following is the mass number of an isotope for which the nuclear radius is 3.6 × 10−15 m?

Approximately how many half-life periods must elapse if the activity of a radioactive isotope sample is to be reduced to 0.003 of the original value?

About what fraction of the initial activity of a radioactive source remains after 10 half-lives?

Units, Trigonometry, and Vectors

Motion in One Dimension

Motion in Two Dimensions

Newtons Laws of Motion

Energy

Momentum, Impulse, and Collisions

Rotational Motion and Gravitation

Rotational Equilibrium and Dynamics

Fluids and Solids

Thermal Physics

Energy in Thermal Processes

The Laws of Thermodynamics

Vibrations and Waves

Sound

Electric Forces and Fields

Electrical Energy and Capacitance

Current and Resistance

Direct-Current Circuits

Magnetism

Induced Voltages and Inductance

Alternating-Current Circuits and Electromagnetic Waves

Reflection and Refraction of Light

Mirrors and Lenses

Wave Optics

Optical Instruments

Relativity

Quantum Physics

Atomic Physics

Nuclear Energy and Elementary Particles

Filters

Tritium is radioactive with a half-life of 12.33 years decaying into ³He with low-energy electron emission.If we have a sample of 1.91 × 10¹⁸ tritium atoms,what is its activity in decays/second? (1 year = 3.15 × 10⁷ s)

What is the Q-value for the reaction where the products are 0.006 u less than the reactants? (1 u = 931.5 MeV/c²)

The isotope ²³⁸U,which starts one of the natural radioactive series,decays first by alpha decay followed by two negative beta decays.At this point,what is the resulting isotope?

The half-life of radioactive Technetium-99 is 6.0 hours.Find the number of ⁹⁹Tc nuclei necessary to produce a sample of activity 1.9 µCi.(1 Ci = 3.7 × 10¹⁰ decays/second)

The half-life of ¹⁸N is 0.62 s.What is the decay constant for this isotope?

What energy must be added or given off in a reaction where a helium atom is separated into two hydrogen atoms and two neutrons? (Atomic masses for each: hydrogen,1.007825 u;neutron,1.008665 u;helium,4.002602 u;also,1 u = 931.5 MeV/c². )

What particle is emitted when ²⁰Na decays to ²⁰Ne? (atomic numbers of Na and Ne are,respectively,11 and 10)

What is the binding energy per nucleon of ¹⁹⁷Au (atomic number = 79)? (The following information regarding atomic masses will be needed: ¹⁹⁷Au,196.966 543 u;hydrogen,1.007 825 u;neutron,1.008 665 u;also 1 u = 931.5 MeV/c²)

If a fossil bone is found to contain 1/32 as much Carbon-14 as the bone of a living animal,what is the approximate age of the fossil? (half-life of ¹⁴C = 5 730 years)

The isotope ⁶⁴Zn has a nuclear radius of 4.8 × 10−¹⁵ m.Which of the following is the mass number of an isotope for which the nuclear radius is 3.6 × 10−¹⁵ m?