H2 Physics – Nuclear Physics

Rutherford Scattering

1 Which one of the following best shows a possible path of an alpha particle as it is deflected by a stationary
gold nucleus?

2 In a gold foil scattering experiment, a proton and an -particle, having the same initial kinetic energy,
approach a gold nucleus head-on. The ratio
distance of the closest approach between the proton and the gold nucleus
is
distance of the closest approach between the α-particle to the gold nucleus

A 1:4 B 1:2 C 2:1 D 4:1

Nuclides vs Isotopes

3 Which of the following is a property of an isotope?

A It is radioactive.
B It carries a charge.
C It has the same composition of nucleons as other isotopes of the same element.
D It has the same chemical properties as other isotopes of the same element.

Mass-energy conservation, Mass difference, E =(Δm)c2

4 What is not necessarily conserved in nuclear processes?

A charge
B linear momentum
C the total number of neutrons
D the total number of nucleons

5 The rest mass of deuteron 21𝐻, proton and neutron are 2.0150u, 1.0086u and 1.0097u respectively. A
deuteron may disintegrate into a proton and neutron if it

A emits a photon of energy 2 MeV.

B emits a photon of energy 3 MeV.
C captures a photon of energy 2 MeV.
D captures a photon of energy 3 MeV.
6 The isotope 226 Ra decays into 222 Rn with the emission of an α-particle and a γ-ray photon of
88 86
frequency f. The principle of conservation of energy is expressed in this decay by the equation. [Where
appropriate, m represents the mass of a particle, u the speed of a particle and c the speed of
electromagnetic radiation.]

A 226 = 222 + 4
B [mRa – mRn] c2 = h f
C ½ mRn uRn2 = hf + ½ mα uα2
D [mRa - (mRn + mα)] c2 = hf + ½ mα uα2 + ½ mRn uRn2

7 It is possible for an electron to annihilate a positron to produce two identical photons. Given that the mass
m of the positron is equal to the mass of the electron, what is the minimum wavelength  of the photons
produced?
h h h 2h
A B 2
C D
mc mc 2mc mc 2

8 Given that the atomic mass of 147 N is 14.003074 u and that the sum of the atomic masses of 11 H and 136 C
1 13 14
is 14.011179 u, it would be reasonable to suppose that the nuclear reaction: 1 H + 6 C→ 7 N

A can only happen if there is a net supply of energy.

B cannot take place at all.
C must involve the emission of a further uncharged atomic particle.
D will result in a release of energy.

9 The nuclear reaction P + Q → X + Y proceeds with a release of energy. Which of the following statement
must be correct?

A Total mass of X and Y is larger than total mass of P and Q.

B Total momentum of X and Y is larger than total momentum of P and Q.
C Total binding energy of X and Y is larger than total binding energy of P and Q.
D Binding energy per nucleon of both X and Y are larger than binding energy per nucleon of P and Q.

10 Consider the following nuclear reaction:

7
Li + 11H → 2 42 He
3
7 1
The masses of the nuclei are as follow: 3 Li : 7.018u, 1H : 1.008u, 42 He : 4.004u. How much energy
1 7
is released when 1.0 g of 1H is fused with a sufficient amount of 3 Li ?

A 3.6  1014 J B 1.6  1012 J C 6.1  10-10 J D 2.7  10-12 J

Binding Energy, BE/nucleon, mass defect

11 When an isotope of boron, 105 B captures a slow neutron, it splits into lithium 73 Li and an alpha particle. An
emission of γ-ray occurs during this reaction. The nuclear binding energies are

10 7 4
5 B : 64.94 MeV 3 Li : 39.25 MeV 2 He : 28.48 MeV

If the total kinetic energy of the products produced, 73 Li and 42 He is 2.31 MeV, the energy of the γ-ray
emitted is

A 0.48 MeV B 2.79 MeV C 10.77 MeV D 25.69 MeV

12 The binding energies per nucleon for the following nuclides are:
10 7 4
5B 6.494 MeV 3 Li 5.607 MeV 2 He 7.120 MeV
For the reaction 10
5 B + n → Li + He ,
1
0
7
3
4
2

A 2.79 MeV of energy is released

B 2.79 MeV of energy is absorbed
C 1.41 MeV of energy is released
D 1.41 MeV of energy is absorbed

13 The nucleus Z has the notation xy Z . The mass defect of this nucleus is Δm. What is the binding energy per
nucleon of the nucleus?

c 2 m c 2 m m m
A B C D
y x y x

92 U + 0 n →
The equation 235 45 Rh + 47 Ag + 2 0 n shows the fission of a Uranium−235 nuclide by a slow-
1 121 113 1
14
moving neutron into a Rhodium-121 nuclide, a Silver-113 nuclide and two neutrons.
Binding energy per nucleon of

235 121 113

U = 7.59 MeV
92 45 Rh = 8.26 MeV 47 Ag = 8.52 MeV

What is the energy released if 1.00 kg of Uranium-235 is used in this fission process?

A 2.35 x 1025 MeV B 6.24 x 1025 MeV

C 1.89 x 1026 MeV D 4.58 x 1026 MeV

15 A helium nucleus is formed by the fusion of two deuterium nuclei, the reaction is given by:
2 2 4
1𝐻   +   1𝐻   →   2𝐻 𝑒  +  𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑔𝑦
Given that the binding energy per nucleon of helium is 2.54 MeV and the minimum amount of energy
released in this reaction is 3.26 MeV, what is the binding energy of deuterium?

A 2.18 MeV B 2.72 MeV C 3.45 MeV D 6.90 MeV

16 The 238U nuclide has a binding energy of about 7.6 MeV per nucleon. If the nuclide were to fission into
two equal fragments, each would have a kinetic energy of just over 100 MeV. It can be deduced that

238
A U cannot fission spontaneously.
B The two fragments are nuclides of mass number near 120 and have masses greater than half that
of 238U.
C The two fragments are nuclides of mass number near 120 and have binding energy per nucleon
of about 6.7 MeV.
D The two fragments are nuclides of mass number near 120 and have binding energy per nucleon
of about 8.5 MeV.

17 When an isotope of boron, 10

5 B captures a slow neutron, it splits into lithium 73 Li and an α-particle. An
emission of -ray occurs during this reaction. The table below gives the binding energy per nucleon of
the various species.

binding energy per nucleon/ MeV

10
5 B 6.494
7
3 Li 5.607
α-particle 7.120

If the total kinetic energy of the products produced, 73 Li and α-particle is 2.31 MeV, the best estimate
of the energy of the -ray emitted is

A 0.48 MeV B 2.79 MeV C 3.92 MeV D 6.23 MeV

Decay

218 214
18 Po decays to Bi via two pathways as shown in the figure. What are the possible radioactive decay
modes X, Y and Z?
X Y Z
A  decay  decay  decay
−

B  decay  − decay  decay

C  decay  − decay  decay
D  decay  decay  − decay

19 Which one of the following combinations of radioactive decay results in the formation of an isotope of the
original nucleus?

A one  and four  B two  and one 

C four  and one  D one  and two 
 92 U captures a slow neutron, it is transformed and subsequently emits two β particles. The
20 When 238
resulting nuclide is

A 240
93 Np B 240
Pa
91
C 239
94 Pu D 239
90Th

21 As a result of successive decays in a radioactive series, the nucleon number of an isotope decreases by 4
while its proton number is unchanged. How many  - particles and  - particles are emitted?

No. of particles emitted

 - particles  - particles
A 1 0
B 1 1
C 1 2
D 2 4

22 Which equation shows a radioactive decay that emits an alpha particle?

A 14
7 N + 11p → 116 C + X
B 220
86 Rn → 216
84 Po + X
C 137
55 Cs → 137
56 Ba + X
D 60
28 Ni → 60
28 Ni + X

23 A parent nucleus, initially at rest, decays into two particles of masses m1 and m2, moving away from each
other in opposite directions. If E is the total energy of the two particles, what is the energy associated
with the particle of mass m1?
m1 m2 m2 m1
A E B E C E D E
m2 m1 m1 + m 2 m1 + m 2

24 A stationary nucleus of mass number A undergoes radioactive decay and emits an alpha particle. If the
total energy released is E, what is the kinetic energy of the alpha particle?

 A−4 4  4   A 
A  A E B  A E C  A − 4 E D  A + 4 E
       
Radioactivity

25 Which one of the following statements is true of radioactive decay?

A Comparing two radioactive isotopes, the one with shorter half-life has a higher activity.
B The activity of a radioactive isotope at any particular time is proportional to the half-life of the
isotope.
C The activity of a radioactive isotope at any particular time is proportional to the number of nuclei
of the isotope present at that time.
D The activity of a radioactive isotope at any particular time is proportional to the decay
constant of the isotope.

26 A radioactive isotope has a decay constant λ and a molar mass M. Taking the Avogadro constant to be
NA, the activity of a sample mass m of this isotope is
mN A mλ λmN A λMN A
A B C D
λM MN A M m

27 A sample of pure potassium chloride is found to be radioactive due to the presence of 40K. The sample
contains 9.49 1019 atoms of 40K when the activity is measured to be 1600 Bq. The half-life of the
radioactive decay of 40K is

A 1.69  10-17 s B 1.17  10-17 C 5.93  1016 s D 4.11  1016 s

28 A sample of material contains 64 g of a radioactive isotope. After 60 minutes, 2.0 g of this isotope
remain. Calculate the half-life of this isotope.

A 20 min B 15 min C 12 min D 10 min

29 A radioactive source contains two materials. One has a half life of 4 days and decays by the emission of
alpha particles whilst the other has a half life of 3 days and emits beta particles. The initial count rate is
160 Bq but when a sheet of paper is placed in between the source and the detector, the reading drops
to 96 Bq. What will be the count rate after 12 days, without the paper present?

A 10 Bq B 14 Bq C 16 Bq D 20 Bq

30 Two samples of radioactive 210 Po are prepared with different amounts of the nuclide. After 69.2 days, it
is found that the amount of 210 Po in the first sample is twice that of the second. Which of the following
statements is true given that 210 Po decays to 206 Pb with a half life 138.4 days?

A After 69.2 days, ¼ of the initial amount of 210 Po in each sample has decayed to 206 Pb .
B After 69.2 days, the chance that any one 210 Po atom in the first sample will decay is twice that of
the second.
C The initial amount of 210 Po in the first sample is twice that of the second.
D The rate of increase of 206 Pb is proportional to the amount of 206 Pb present.
31 A sample of a radioactive material contains 1018 atoms. The half life of the material is 2.00 days. Calculate
the activity of the sample after 5.00 days.

A 1.77 x 105 disintegrations s-1

B 7.09 x 1011 disintegrations s-1
C 2.05 x 1012 disintegrations s-1
D 6.13 x 1016 disintegrations s-1

32 A detector of ionizing radiation gives a background count of 24 per minute. A radioactive source is placed
close to the detector and the reading is 532 counts per minute. What will the reading be after two half-lives
of the source?

A 127 B 133 C 157 D 151

33 A radioactive source consists of 6.4 x 1011 atoms of a radioactive nuclide of half-life 30 minutes. What is
the activity of the source 15 minutes later?

A 1.74 x 108 Bq
B 1.84 x 108 Bq
C 1.04 x 1010 Bq
D 4.52 x 1011 Bq

34 Potassium-43 has a half life of 22 hours. A detector placed near a sample of Potassium-43 records a count-
rate of 500 counts per minute. The average background count-rate is 35 per minute. What will be the
reading recorded by the detector after one day has passed?

A 218 B 234 C 253 D 270

35 A sample of a radioactive nuclide X has the same initial activity as a sample of a radioactive nuclide Y.
The sample of X contains twice the number of atoms as the sample of Y. If the half-life of X is T then the
half-life of Y is

A 2T B 1.5 T C T D 0.5 T

36 The activity of a radioactive sample is monitored by using a GM detector. At 1:30 pm, a count-rate of 562
counts per min (cpm) is registered. The count-rate falls to 163 cpm half an hour later, at 2:00 pm.
Background radiation contributes a count-rate of 30 cpm. Calculate the count-rate at 1:00 pm.

A 2158 cpm B 2128 cpm C 1968 cpm D 1938 cpm

37 A radioactive source contains two species. One has a half-life of 4 days and decays by the emission of
alpha particles whilst the other has a half-life of 3 days and emits beta particles. The initial count-rate is
352 min-1, but when a sheet of paper is placed between the source and the detector this becomes 256 min-
1
. The background count-rate is 16 min-1. What will be the count-rate after 12 days, without the paper
present?

A 27 min-1 B 28 min-1 C 43 min-1 D 44 min-1

38 The activity of a sample of Iodine-131 varies with time as shown. The activity scale is logarithmic.
10000
9000
8000
7000
6000

5000

4000

3000

2000

Activity / Bq
1000
900
800
700
600

500

400

300

200

100
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
time / days
The half-life of Iodine-131 is approximately

A 8 days B 28 days C 55 days D 180 days

39 At time t = 0, some radioactive gas is injected into a sealed vessel. At time T, a different radioactive gas
with a half-life very much shorter than the first is injected into the same vessel. Which one of the following
graphs best represents how activity A varies with t?
ln A ln A

t t
ln A T
ln A T
A B

t
t
T
T
C D

40 A radioactive isotope can be used as a trace element in the fields of medicine, agriculture and industries.
Radioactive isotope when used within a plant or animal allows an observer to follow the movement of
certain chemicals. In the selection of such a radioactive isotope, which of the following is given the least
consideration?

A Daughter nuclide of nucleus.

B Half-life of radioisotope.
C Intensity of radiation emitted.
D Mass of the radioactive isotope.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
B B D C D D A D C B A A A D C D A B D C
21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40
C B C A C C D B B C B D A C D A B A D A