UNIT 8 - ATOMS & NUCLEI

1. What conclusions were drawn from the observation in which few alpha-particle were seen
rebounding from gold foil?

2. Hydrogen atom makes a transition from 4th to 3rd orbit. To which spectral series does this
transition belong?
3. Four nuclei fuse together to form a heavier nucleus. If this process is accompanied by the
release of energy, which of the two – the parent nuclei or the daughter nucleus would have a
higher binding energy per nucleon?
4. The radius of the innermost electron orbit of hydrogen atom is 5.3 x 10-11m. What is the radius
of orbit in second excited state?(4.77x10-10m)
5. What is the nuclear radius of 127𝑇𝑒 if that of 27𝐴𝑙 is 3.6 fermi?
6. Draw a plot showing variation of potential energy of a pair of nucleons as a function of their
separation.
7. In Rutherford scattering experiment the distance of closest approach for an α- particle is do. If
α- particle is replaced by a proton, how much kinetic energy in comparison to the α- particle
will it require to have the same distance of closest approach?
8. Two nuclei have mass no. in the ratio 1:2. What is the ratio their nuclear densities?

9. Why is it found experimentally difficult to detect neutrinos in nuclear β-decay ?

10. How is the mean life of a radioactive sample related to its half life
11. State the first two postulates of Bohr’s theory of hydrogen atom. Also explain briefly the necessity
for invoking these postulates to describe the structure of the atom.
12. A nucleus 23 23
10𝑁𝑒 undergoes β-decay and becomes 11𝑁𝑎 . Calculate the maximum kinetic
energy of electrons emitted that the daughter nucleus and anti-neutrino carry negligible kinetic
energy.
Mass of 23
10𝑁𝑒 = 22.994466 u
Mass of 23
11𝑁𝑎 = 22.989770 u
1 u = 931.5 MeV/c2
13. State the law of radioactive decay. If No is the number of radioactive nuclei in the sample at
some initial time t0, find out the relation to determine the number N present at a subsequent
time. Draw a plot of N as a function of time.
14. A radioactive nucleus ‘A’ undergoes a series of decays according to the following scheme:
𝛼 𝛽 𝛼 𝛾
𝐴 → 𝐴1 → 𝐴2 → 𝐴3 → 𝐴4
The mass number and atomic number of A are 180 and 72 respectively. What are these
numbers for 𝐴4 ?
15. Draw a plot of the binding energy per nucleon as a function of mass number for a large number
of nuclei.
Explain the energy release in the process of nuclear fission from the above plot. Write a
typical nuclear reaction in which a large amount of energy is released in the process of nuclear
fission.
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16. The half life of 38𝑆𝑟 is 28 yrs. What is the disintegration rate of 15mg of this isotope?
17. The mass of a nucleus in its ground state is always less than the total mass of its constituents
– neutrons and protons. Explain
18. Nuclei of two radioactive specimens of half life 50yrs and 25yrs respectively are present in
the ratio 1:4 in a sample. After how much time will the number of nuclei of each be the same?

19. If both the number of protons and the number of neutrons are conserved in a nuclear reaction
like
12 12 20 4
6𝐶 + 6𝐶 → 10𝑁𝑒 + 2𝐻𝑒 in what way is mass converted into energy? Explain.

20. Find the ratio of energies of photons produced due to transition of an electron of hydrogen
atom from its
a) Second permitted level to the first level and
b) The highest permitted energy level to the first permitted level.
21. A heavy nucleus X of mass number 240 and binding energy per nucleon 7.6 MeV is split into
two fragments Y and Z of mass numbers 110 and 130. The binding energy of nucleons in Y
and Z is 8.5 MeV per nucleon. Calculate the energy Q released per fission in MeV.
22. When four hydrogen nuclei combine to form a helium nucleus, estimate the amount of energy
in MeV released in this process of fusion (Neglect the masses of electrons and neutrinos).
Given that
i) Mass of 11𝐻 = 1.007825 u
ii) Mass of helium nucleus = 4.002603 u, 1u=931 MeV/c2
23. The energy level diagram of an element is given below. Identify, by doing necessary
calculations, which transition corresponds to the emission of a spectral line of wavelength
102.7 nm?

24. Distinguish between isotopes and isobars. Give one example for each of the species. A
radioactive isotope has a half life of 5 yrs. How long will it take the activity to reduce to
3.125%
25. a) What is meant by half life of a radioactive element?
b) The half life of a radioactive substance is 30s. Calculate
(i) The decay constant
(ii) Time taken for the sample to decay by 3/4th of the initial value.
26. State the law of radioactive decay.
Plot a graph showing the number (N) of unbiased nuclei as a function of time (t) for a given
radioactive sample having a half life 𝑇1⁄ .Depict in the plot the number of undecayed nuclei
2
at (i) t = 3𝑇1⁄ and (ii) t = 5𝑇1⁄ .
2 2

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27. Using the postulates of Bohr’s model of hydrogen atom, obtain an expression for the
frequency of radiation emitted when atom makes a transition from the higher energy state
with quantum number ni to the lower energy state with quantum number nf.
28. Using de Broglei hypothesis, explain with the help of a suitable diagram, Bohr’s second
postulate of quantisation of energy levels in a hydrogen atom.
29. Using Bohr’s third postulate, write the Rydberg formula for the spectrum of the hydrogen
atom. With the help of this formula, calculate the wavelength of the first member of the
spectral line in the Lyman series of the hydrogen spectrum.
(Take the value of Rydberg constant R = 1.03 x 107 m–1)
30. Using Rutherford model of the atom, derive the expression for the total energy of the electron
in hydrogen atom. What is the significance of total negative energy possessed by the electron?

Questions according to the new pattern

1) When alpha particles are sent through a thin gold foil, most of them go straight
through the foil, because
(a) Alpha particles are positively charged
(b) Mass of alpha particle is more than mass of electron
(c) Most of the part of an atom is empty space
(d) Alpha particles moves with high velocity

2) In an experiment of scattering of alpha particle showed for the first time that the
atom has,
(a) Electron
(b) Proton
(c) Neutron
(d) Nucleus

3) According to Bohr’s postulates, an electrons revolve around the nucleus in ______

orbits.
(a) Dynamic
(b) Stationary
(c) Lower
(d) First

4) Which spectral series of hydrogen lie in UV region.

(a) Paschen
(b) Lyman
(c) Brackett
(d) Balmer

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5) The Bohr’s model is applicable to which kind of atoms
(A). Having one electron only
(B). Having two electrons
(C). Having eight electrons
(D). Having more than eight electrons.

6) The minimum energy required to knock an e- completely out of the atom is called as
(a) Kinetic Energy
(b) Potential Energy
(c) IonisationEnergy
(d) Excitation energy

7) The frequency spectrum of radiation emitted as per Rutherford’s model of atom is

____________.

8) In gamma rays emission from a nucleus

(a) only the proton number changes

(b) both the proton no and neutron no changes
(c) there is no change in the proton number and neutron number
(d) only the neutron no changes

9) Which word equation represents β+ decay?

(a) proton →neutron + electron + electron antineutrino
(b) proton →neutron + electron + electron neutrino
(c) proton →neutron + positron + electron antineutrino
(d) proton →neutron + positron + electron neutrino
10) What is the ratio of nuclear radii if the mass numbers of two nuclei are 4 and 32
(a) 1 : 2
(b) 1 : 3
(c) 1; 4
(d) 1 : 5

11) Which statement about alpha, beta and gamma radiation is correct?
(a) Alpha radiation has the greatest ionizing power.
(b) Beta radiation has the greatest ionizing power.
(c) Gamma radiation has the greatest ionizing power.
(d) Alpha, beta and gamma radiation have nearly equal ionizing powers.

12) The nuclei of the isotopes of an element all contain the same number of a certain
particle. What is this particle?
(a) electron
(b) neutron
(c) nucleon
(d) proton
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