Nuclear Physics Quiz

Physics for Engineering - Dr. Carlos A. Calles Arriaga

Name: Beida Alejandra Guzmán Esparza

1. What is nuclear physics?

Nuclear physics provides information about the structure of nuclei that can be obtained from
high-energy electron scattering experiments.

2. What is the Large Hadron Collider (LHC)?

Large Hadron Collider (LHC), world’s most powerful particle accelerator. The LHC was
constructed by the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) The heart of the LHC
is a ring that runs through the circumference of the LEP tunnel; the ring is only a few centimeters
in diameter, evacuated to a higher degree than deep space and cooled to within two degrees
of absolute zero. In this ring, two counterrotating beams of heavy ions or protons are accelerated
to speeds within one-millionth of a percent of the speed of light. (Protons belong to a category
of heavy subatomic particles known as hadrons, which accounts for the name of this particle
accelerator.)

At four points on the ring, the beams can intersect and a small proportion of particles crash into
each other.

At maximum power, collisions between protons will take place at a combined energy of up to 13
TeV, about seven times greater than has been achieved previously. At each collision point are
huge magnets weighing tens of thousands of tons and banks of detectors to collect the particles
produced by the collisions.

One goal of the LHC project is to understand the fundamental structure of matter by re-creating
the extreme conditions that occurred in the first few moments of the universe according to
the big-bang model.

3. What are the quarks and what kind exist?

Quark, any member of a group of elementary subatomic particles that interact by means of
the strong force and are believed to be among the fundamental constituents of matter.

Quarks associate with one another via the strong force to make up protons and neutrons, in
much the same way that the latter particles combine in various proportions to make up atomic
nuclei.
 There are six types, of quarks that differ from one another in their mass and charge
characteristics.

These six quark flavors can be grouped in three pairs:

• up and down
• charm and strange
• and top and bottom.

Quarks appear to be true elementary particles; that is, they have no apparent structure and
cannot be resolved into something smaller. In addition, however, quarks always seem to occur
in combination with other quarks or with antiquarks, their antiparticles, to form all hadrons—the
so-called strongly interacting particles that encompass both baryons and mesons.

4. Describe the standard model.

The Standard Model of Particle Physics is scientists’ current best theory to describe the most
basic building blocks of the universe. It explains how particles called quarks (which make up
protons and neutrons) and leptons (which include electrons) make up all known matter. It also
explains how force carrying particles, which belong to a broader group of bosons, influence the
quarks and leptons.

The Standard Model accurately describes the phenomena within its domain, it is still incomplete.
Perhaps it is only a part of a bigger picture that includes new physics hidden deep in
the subatomic world or in the dark recesses of the universe. New information from experiments
at the LHC will help us to find more of these missing pieces.

5. What is the difference between mass number and atomic mass?

The mass number is the value for an individual atom but atomic mass is the average of all
the isotopes of an element.

6. Define the isotope and draw an example.

isotope, one of two or more species of atoms of a chemical element with the same atomic
number and position in the periodic table and nearly identical chemical behavior but with
different atomic masses and physical properties. Every chemical element has one or more
isotopes.
An element may have atoms with a different number of neutrons.
These atoms are called isotopes.

Isotopes are atoms with the same atomic number (Z) but with
different mass number (A).
7. What is mass defect?

To understand the concept known as mass defect, we can consider as an

example the element He, which is composed of:

Quantity Particle Mass Particle Mass

2 protons 2.014552 u
2 Neutrons 2.017330 u
2 Electrons 0.001100 u
TOTAL: 4.032982 u

Hence, it could be expected that the atomic mass would have the same
value, however, atomic mass of this element is 4.0026 u.
The difference between the mass of the atom and the sum of the masses of its parts is called
the mass defect (Δm).
8. Calculate the mass defect of Cr 51.
9. Determine the energy required to separate the nucleons from isotope of Fr 221.
10. Explain the β− particles emission process of Co 60.