Physics, 3rd ed.

Chapter 29 Guided Notes

Nuclear Physics
Fill in each blank with the correct word or phrase as you watch each video.

Radiation and Radioactivity

− Discovery of Radiation

• Roentgen

o Roentgen was studying electricity with a cathode-ray tube when he noticed that a nearby

screen was ___________________ (emitting visible light).

• Becquerel

o Becquerel reasoned that if x-rays ___________________ fluorescence, they may also be

___________________ in fluorescence.

• radiation—the ___________________ and ___________________ emitted by an

___________________ nucleus

• radioactivity—the ___________________ of rays and particles from an unstable nucleus

− Cause of Radioactivity

• Radiation

o Radiation is caused by an ___________________ nucleus.

o This instability is caused by too few or too many ___________________ in the neutron-to-

proton ratio.

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 − Kinds of Radiation

• Nuclear Decay

o There are three types of nuclear decay:

 ___________________ decay

 ___________________ decay

 ___________________ decay

− Alpha Decay

• Alpha Decay

o During alpha (α) decay, the atom’s nucleus ___________________ ___________________

protons and ___________________ neutrons (these four nucleons are collectively called an

___________________).

o Since an α-particle is the same as a ___________________ (_____) nucleus, we may

represent an α-particle as

4
2 He in an α-decay equation:

− Beta Decay

• Beta (β) decay occurs when an ___________________ leaves the nucleus and a neutron is

changed to a ___________________.

− Gamma Decay

• Gamma (γ) decay occurs when ___________________ ___________________ are emitted.

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 − Natural Fission

• fission––the ___________________ of a nucleus into two nuclei

− Detection of Radiation

• Ionizing Radiation

o Nuclear radiation is classified as ___________________ radiation to distinguish it from

nonionizing radiation, such as microwaves.

• Detectors

o ___________________ ___________________: a device that creates an electric current

o ___________________ ___________________: a chamber that contains a cold

___________________ near its condensation point

 Nuclear particles cause a ___________________ near its vaporization point to condense

around ions.

o ___________________ ___________________: a chamber that contains a

___________________ near its vaporization point

 Nuclear particles cause a ___________________ near its vaporization point to condense.

o ___________________ ___________________: a chamber that contains closely spaced

conducting plates maintained at a high potential difference with respect to one another

 A spark easily jumps along a trail of ions such as those produced by nuclear particles.

o ___________________: a device that people can carry as they work to see how much

radiation they have been exposed to

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 − Units of Radiation and Radioactivity

• Radiation and Radioactivity Units

o ___________________ ___________________: the number of particles or rays produced per

unit time; the ___________________ (_____) of the sample

 older unit: ___________________ (_____)

 current SI unit: ___________________ (_____)

 1 Bq = 1 disintegration per second

o ___________________ (_____): a unit for the amount of energy deposited in material exposed

to radiation; measures the ___________________ (_____) of radiation received by a material

 _____________ _________________ is equal to _____________ _________________

of energy absorbed by _____________ _________________ of material.

o ___________________ (_____): a measurement of the ionizing effect of EM radiation on a

sample of air

o ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ (_____): a method

that accounts for the differences in damage caused by radiation

 Different rays affect tissue differently.

o ___________________ ___________________ (_____): a measure of the comparative

amount of damage

 measured in SI units called ___________________ (_____)

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Radioactive Decay

− Radioactive Decay Law

• Radioactive Decay

o Figure 29-9 on ST p. 672

− Radioactive Dating

• radioactive dating––estimating the ___________________ of a material by comparing the

___________________ of a radioactive nuclide and its daughter products and then calculating

the amount of ___________________ necessary for the measured proportion to occur

• Radioactive Dating

o Radioactive dating involves estimating the age of a sample by comparing the

___________________ of parent and daughter nuclides (radionuclides).

o In calculating the original amount of a radionuclide in a sample, it is necessary to make several

assumptions:

 The proportions of nuclides have remained ___________________ over time.

 The sample has not been ___________________.

 None of the nuclides have ___________________ from the sample.

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 − Problems with Radioactive Dating

• Carbon-14 Dating

o When an organism dies, it _____________ _________________ carbon with the atmosphere.

o Its own C-14 ___________________ to decay.

o Theoretically, it is possible to determine when an organism died by its ___________________

C-14 activity.

o To use C-14 dating, you must know the ___________________ C-14/C-12 ratio when the

organism died.

• Figure 29-11 on ST p. 675

Nuclear Reactions

− Nuclear Energy

• Nuclear Energy

o Where does nuclear energy (nuclear power plants and bombs) come from?

• mass defect—the ___________________ between the mass of a nucleus and the sum of the

masses of the individual particles from which it was formed

• Figure 29-14 on ST p. 679

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Subatomic Particles

− Nuclear Building Blocks

• Subatomic Particles

o A zoo of several hundred ___________________ and ___________________

___________________ (particles smaller than atoms) may exist.

o Physicists use two basic rules when studying these particles:

 Every reaction ___________________ ___________________ at some time unless it is

prohibited by a conservation law.

 Every particle has an ___________________.

 antiparticle—a particle of the ___________________ mass and spin but with the

___________________ charge

− Elementary Particle Zoo

• Subatomic Particles

o There are two major groups of subatomic particles: ___________________ (½ spin) and

__________________.

(spin of 0, 1, or 2).

 fermions: ___________________ and ___________________

 bosons: force carriers

 combination of fermions and bosons: ___________________

 ___________________: composite fermions

 ___________________: composite bosons

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 − Exchange Particles

• Exchange Particles

o All forces are placed into four categories:

 ___________________ force

 ___________________ ___________________ interaction force

 ___________________ force

 ___________________ ___________________ interaction force

o Each kind of force can be understood in terms of an ___________________

___________________.

• exchange particle—a particle that when exchanged between two objects results in a

___________________ or ___________________ between the two objects

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