Physics Factsheet @ curriculum-press.co.uk A2 Questions Radioactivity Radioactive decay ends itselfto& broad range of assessment. Inaddition topractcal investigations, problems canbe settotesttheory, calculations, graphical ‘work, and health and environmental issues, Written answers in paragraph form can be demanded (although they till end tobe marked interms of separate points made). Some of the topics that canbe assessed include: 1. Types and properties of decay products (including scattering theory and the nuclear atom ~ Rutherford. ‘The devay process (including sources of radiation {man-made and natural), equations of decay, N-Z graphs, decay chains, ec) Decay graphs (including ideas of activity, decay constant, half-life, background correction, etc.) “Maths based on A=AN, 27, = 0.693, and equations ofthe fom AxA= “The inverse square law for gamma radiation, Environmental issues (safety/waste disposalhalf-ves). ‘Medical uses and dangers (this topic has already been covered in some depth in Factsheets 77 and 82 suis Factsheet will eal almost exclusively with answering questions on these topics. There are four exam-style questions to illustrate various points and demonstrate the methods of solution required. Then there are a number of short questions for you to attempt ~ the solutions are supplied. Examsiplequertont (@) Discuss problemsinvolvedin safe storage ofradioactive waste(3) (©) Complete thistable relating therange, ionising power, anddangers associated with decay products B, and ‘Exam Hint: Be clear about he link berween range and ionising power for eB, and decay, and the differences herween these decay products Decay] Range in| Tonising —] Danger to bummans Produet | Ai Power Exam-style question 2 @ small | @ = 2) ‘An experiment is setup to confirm that gamma-ray intensity obeys B oD Medium — | Most dangerous iaken the inverse square law (=k / {to body in breathing or i A : o as food / drink | [Less dangerous from extemal source. 7 o ® radioactivesource os Exam-style question 1 solutions 1 @) halfifeverylong (1) (@) Why wil this experiment not give the required result for and B possible leakage into environment / water supply (1) particles? (1) ‘geological instability causing disruption to security of storage (1) radioactivity may degrade storage vessel (1) any three oF these or other sensible points (©) How can you ensure that alpha or beta particles from the source ‘cannot reach the detector? (1) (6) Should the source have a long or a short half-life? Explain your ‘Exam Hint: Be prepared 0 write essay-type answers conceming safety ae and environmental issues. Remember, the umber and quality of points ‘you make are important not the toca number of words you write (@) The count rateis taken over arangeof values for distanced. Explain ‘what correction must be made to the recorded count rate in 10) investigations ofthis sort, and how the final corected valu is Decay [Range [lonising | Danger to bummans determined. (2) Product |in Power (6) These values for corrected count rte (5!) at various distances are ce [Verysmatl | Very large (1) | Most dangerous if ken found. Show grophically thatthe results obey the inverse square {nto body in breathing or law.) food / drink. (1) Lessdangerous from aim count rate /s external source. (1) 020 2 B [Smal | Medium | Most dangerous if taken 040 112 {nto body in breathing or a = food / drink. 0.60 5 ‘Less dangerous from 080 ry external source. 1.00 18 7 | verytarge cap] Very small 1p] Most travel straight = = through body (1) _ 2 ‘Equally dangerous externally or intemally (1) | (The third and fourth columns are for your use.) ———————————85.A2Questions Radioactivity Physics Factsheet Exam-style question 2solutions 2. (a) some (ino al) paicle absorbed by ar (1) (b) metal iter (sheet in font of source to absorb them (1) (© long bali (1) toensure constant (ignoring randomness of decay) activity of source a (@) comectforbackground radiation (1) measure backround and subtract from recorded values (1) (e) couat rate = Kit (count rat) =In k~2Ind (1) tbe logazthmie raph should be astright ne with pradient-2 (1) aim ‘count rate/s | _In(@/m) [In count rate 020 442 “161 6.0 0.40 112 092 472 0.60, 31 051 3.93 0.80) 8 022 3.33 1.00. 18 0.00 2.89) 120 2 os 248 (2 maris for table) In(count rate /") 60 18-14 iam) (2 marks for graph) Gradiem =-37/18=-2.1 (1) Alternatively, the marks could be gained by calculating the values ford, and plotting count rate against 1, and obtaining a straight line through, the origin, Examsstyle question3 ‘This is a small section of the Uranium-238 decay chain: A(Mass I 214 He 210: 208: 206 im] “| Pb 208 >2 (Atomic CO) ec (a) Identify the decay products in sections X, ¥, and Z of the chain. (1) (©) Could the decay from Po-214 to Pb-206 be accomplished in less than our steps? (1) (©) What information does this chart give us about gamma ray emission’ Explain your answer.(2) (a) Why would the reverse process (decay from Pb to Po) be impossible? (1) Examstyle question 3 solutions (@) X=0,¥=B,Z=a (1) () No. (but there could be other pathways possible) (1) (6) No information about rays. (1) They don’t appear inthe chart, as ‘they don’t result in a change in nuclear charge or mass. (1) (@) Each decay process results inthe loss of mass and/or energy from the nucleus. The reverse process would mean mass and/or energy would Ihave tobe gained in each step. (1) Examstyle question ‘The sketch graph shows the corrected countrate measured for the decay of radioactive sample (the sample-detector distance is constant): corrected count rates" 12001 500 o 10 ws (a) Attime t20s, what factors will affect the count-rate measured? (3) () If the count-rate is 1200s" at 120s, and is 500s" after 10s, find the decay constant forthe radioactive isotope. (2) (©) Whats the half-life ofthis isotope? (1) (@) If the measured count-rate is only 1% of the activity ofthe sample, find the number of atoms of this radioisotope present after 10s. (2) Exam-style question 4 solutions: (@) the decay constant (or half-life) of the radioactive isotope the number of atoms of this radioisotope present the distance d the type or size ofthe detector the type of decay product (cB, 9) any 3 of these poins, or sensible aternatives () count rate = activity Ae, 500 (1200: 9 s(t) (@) A= 500% 100 = 5.0% 10* (1) WN , N= A= 50 000 /0,088 = 5.7 x 10° atoms. (1) = 0088 s!. @)85, A2 Questions Radioactivity Physics Factsheet el Practice Questions 1, Whats the SI base unit forthe rate of radioactive decay? 2. Atacertin stage in a radioactive decay practical, dhe count rate was found to be 84Bq, Ifthe average background measured was 254 counts in 2 sminutes, find the corrected count rate (to the nearest whole number). 3. The following count rates were measured over successive 10s intervals ina beta decay practical. The source-detector distance was fixed, and the source half-life was 26 years 162, 188, 163, 152, 183, 171, 159, 173, (a) Find the average countrate in Bq, (Find the maximum percentage error in these results. (©) What factors were responsible for the variation in readings. 4, Explain in words why the decay constant, 2, is inversely proportional to the half-Ufe, T,, (2) The halflife ofa source is 22 years. Find the decay constant. () The decay constant for a radioisotope is 1.4 x 10* s', Find the halflife, T,, 6 Complete the following decay equation: 8 Ya Bet +e ty Here is a sketch graph of simultaneous decay from radioisotopes X and Y: 5 Z Explain what is happening, Time Answers 1. Bq=st 2, 25412 x60)=2.1, 3. (a) 169 in 10s = 16.98q (b) (188-169) / 169. 2%. (6) randomness of decay from source and randomness of background (not just “background”. 12, 4. The decay constant isthe probability of decay for each unstable nucleus in the next second. The higher the probability of decay, the shorter time for half ofthe nuclei to decay. 5.(a) R= 0.693 /T, = 0.693 /(22 x 365 x 24 x 3600) = 9,99 x 106", (0) T, = 0.693 /2 = 0.693 / 14 x 10+ = 49505 = 1.38 hours, 6: ser aiagram 0 Yaa Spe thas op Acknoeldgement: {ri Poses Foesheet was researched and write by Pl Freenn ‘he Caries Press Ban Howse 108 King Seeing. 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