Chapter 7 All MCQs IB Physics

Chapter 7 All MCQs [96 marks]
1. [Maximum mark: 1] 23M.1.SL.TZ1.24

The energy levels E of an atom are shown.
Which emission spectrum represents the transitions?
[1]
Markscheme
D
Examiners report
Option D was the most frequent response by both HL and SL students.

Option C was a significant distractor for both groups, where students failed
to recognize the inverse relationship between energy change and
wavelength.

Three claims are made about the structure of the atom.
I. Most of the atom is empty space.

II. The positive charge of the atom is concentrated in a small volume.
III. The electrons have discrete energy levels.
Which of these claims can be deduced from the Rutherford-Geiger-

Marsden scattering experiment?
A. I and II only
B. I and III only
C. II and III only
D. I, II and III [1]
Markscheme
Examiners report
This question was well answered by HL and SL students.

A radioactive material has a half-life of 6 days. How long will it take for
75 % of a pure sample of the material to decay?
A. 3 days
B. 6 days
C. 12 days
D. 18 days [1]
Markscheme
Examiners report
With the highest difficulty index on the paper, this half life question was
quite easy for students.
A nucleus of platinum (Pt) undergoes alpha decay to form an osmium
(Os) nucleus as represented by the following reaction.
Pt → Os + alpha particle
175
78
What are the number of protons and the number of neutrons in the
osmium nucleus?
Number of protons Number of neutrons

A. 74 93
B. 76 93
C. 74 95
D. 76 95
[1]
Markscheme
D
A student measures the count rate of a radioactive sample with time in
a laboratory. The background count in the laboratory is 30 counts per
second.
Count rate / counts per second Time / s

150 0
90 20
What is the time at which the student measures a count rate of 45

counts per second?
A. 30 s
B. 40 s
C. 60 s
D. 80 s [1]
Markscheme
Examiners report
Many students have likely failed to subtract the background count rate
from the data in the table, and popular incorrect answers at both levels
were A and B. The data, corrected for background radiation, is 120 counts
initially and 60 counts after 20 seconds, which means that the half-life of
the sample is 20 seconds. The final count rate, corrected for background, is
15 counts which is obtained after three half-lives (60 seconds).
6. [Maximum mark: 1] 23M.1.HL.TZ1.1
The ratio of the diameter of an atom to the diameter of its nucleus is:
A. 101
B. 103
C. 105
D. 107 [1]
Markscheme
Examiners report
This question was generally well answered, although a lower

discrimination index suggests that some students were guessing between
options C and D.
The energy levels E of an atom are shown.
Which emission spectrum represents the transitions?
[1]
Markscheme
D
Examiners report
Option D was the most frequent response by both HL and SL students.

Option C was a significant distractor for both groups, where students failed
to recognize the inverse relationship between energy change and
wavelength.

Three claims are made about the structure of the atom.
I. Most of the atom is empty space.

II. The positive charge of the atom is concentrated in a small volume.
III. The electrons have discrete energy levels.
Which of these claims can be deduced from the Rutherford-Geiger-

Marsden scattering experiment?
A. I and II only
B. I and III only
C. II and III only
Markscheme
Examiners report
This question was well answered by HL and SL students.

In the Bohr model for hydrogen, the radius of the electron orbit in the n
= 2 state is four times that of the radius in the n = 1 state.
speed of the electron in the n = 2 state

What is speed of the electron in the n =1 state
?
1
A. 4
B. 1
C. 2
D. 4 [1]
Markscheme
Examiners report
Options A and D were (incorrectly) chosen more often than the correct
option (B). When approaching questions, students should be encouraged
to think whether a fractional value is expected to <1 or >1. This will
effectively eliminate incorrect distractors. With this question, more than half
of students did not recognize that with an increased n, the speed of the
electron would decrease.
Which statement about atomic nuclei is correct?
The density is…
A. directly proportional to mass number.
B. inversely proportional to nuclear radius.
C. inversely proportional to volume.
D. constant for all nuclei. [1]
Markscheme
Examiners report
Students selected options A and D (correct) with roughly equal frequency,

suggesting that they are not particularly familiar with atomic density.
Radioactive nuclide X decays into a stable nuclide Y. The decay
constant of X is λ. The variation with time t of number of nuclei of X and
Y are shown on the same axes.
What is the expression for s?
A.
ln 2
B. 1
C.
λ
ln 2
D. ln 2 [1]
Markscheme
Examiners report
The majority of students correctly selected option A. Option C was next
frequent, with students selecting the inverse of the correct relationship.

White light is incident on gas at very low pressure. The light passing
through the gas is analysed.
What phenomenon is being investigated?
A. Absorption spectrum
B. Emission spectrum
C. Photoelectric effect
D. Polarization [1]
Markscheme
A
A student measures the count rate of a radioactive sample with time in
a laboratory. The background count in the laboratory is 30 counts per
second.
Count rate / counts per second Time / s

150 0
90 20
What is the time at which the student measures a count rate of 45

counts per second?
A. 30 s
B. 40 s
C. 60 s
D. 80 s [1]
Markscheme
Examiners report
Many students have likely failed to subtract the background count rate
from the data in the table, and popular incorrect answers at both levels
were A and B. The data, corrected for background radiation, is 120 counts
initially and 60 counts after 20 seconds, which means that the half-life of
the sample is 20 seconds. The final count rate, corrected for background, is
15 counts which is obtained after three half-lives (60 seconds).
Three statements about the binding energy are provided.
I. The binding energy is the energy required to completely separate

the nucleons.
II. The binding energy is equivalent, in units of energy, to the mass
defect when a nucleus is formed from its nucleons.
III. The binding energy is the energy released when a nucleus is formed
from its nucleons.
Which statements are true?
A. I and II only
B. I and III only
C. II and III only
Markscheme
D
What is the variation of nuclear density ρ with nucleon number A?
[1]
Markscheme
B
Some energy levels for a hydrogen atom are shown.
diagram not to scale
wavelength emitted in transition X

What is the wavelength emitted in transition Y
?
1
A. 2
27
B. 32
32
C. 27
D. 2 [1]
Markscheme
C
17. [Maximum mark: 1] 22N.1.SL.TZ0.23
A nucleus of krypton (Kr) decays to a nucleus of bromine (Br)
according to the equation
84 84
Kr → Br + Y + Z
36 35
What are Y and Z?
[1]
Markscheme
A
Which development in physics constituted a paradigm shift?
A. The classification of variables into scalars and vectors
B. The determination of the velocity of light in different media
Δp
C. The equivalence of F = ma to F =
Δt
when the mass of the
system is constant
D. The equivalence of mass and energy [1]
Markscheme
D
A fusion reaction of one nucleus of hydrogen-2 and one nucleus of
hydrogen-3 converts 0.019 u to energy. A fission reaction of one
nucleus of uranium-235 converts a mass of 0.190 u to energy.
specif ic energy of this f usion of hydrogen

What is the ratio specif ic energy of this f ission of uranium
?
A. 0.1
B. 0.2
C. 5
D. 10 [1]
Markscheme
Examiners report
The most frequently chosen alternative was (incorrect) A. This alternative

represents the ratio of energies released in both reactions, but since the
masses of the nuclides are so much different in fission and fusion, the ratio
of specific energies cannot be equal to 0.1. Just remembering that fusion
generally releases more energy than fission per unit mass of fuel should be
sufficient to eliminate alternatives A and B.
The fusion reaction involves two isotopes of hydrogen of different masses.

In this case, specific energy refers to the energy available from unit mass of
a fuel containing both isotopes in the same mass proportion as in the
fusion reaction. The simplest way to think about it is that the specific energy
is the energy released in the reaction divided by the combined mass of the
reactants, regardless of whether they are the same or different nuclides.
Three statements about the atom are:
I. The nucleus of the atom is positively charged.
II. The electrons provide only a small fraction of the mass of an atom.
III. Most of the atom is free space.
Which statements are correct?
A. I and II only
B. I and III only
C. II and III only
Markscheme
D
21. [Maximum mark: 1] 22N.1.HL.TZ0.21
The unified atomic mass unit, u, is a non-SI unit usually used by
scientists to state atomic masses.
What is u?
A. It is the mean of the masses of a proton and a neutron.
B. It is the mean of the masses of protons and neutrons in all chemical

elements.
C. It is 1
16
the mass of an 168O atom.
D. It is 1
12
the mass of a 126C atom. [1]
Markscheme
D
The nuclide uranium-237 follows a sequence of three decays to
produce the nuclide uranium-233.
What is a possible sequence for these decays?
A. Beta plus, alpha, beta plus
B. Beta minus, alpha, beta minus
C. Alpha, beta plus, beta minus
D. Alpha, beta minus, beta plus [1]
Markscheme
Examiners report
Another relatively challenging question, with less than 50% correct choices
and the distribution of answers suggesting a lot of guesswork. An easy way
to obtain the correct sequence of decays is by considering the proton
number only, which after three decays returns to the original value because
the initial and final nuclides are of the same chemical element. Alpha decay
decreases the proton number by 2 while beta minus decay increases it by
one, therefore two beta minus decays are required to compensate for
the decrease in the proton number caused by the alpha decay.
Which emission shows a continuous energy spectrum?
A. Photons during energy transitions between atomic energy states
B. Gamma photons from the nuclei of radioactive isotopes
C. Beta particles from the nuclei of radioactive isotopes
D. Alpha particles from the nuclei of radioactive isotopes [1]
Markscheme
C
Some transitions between the energy states of a particular atom are
shown.
Energy transition E3 gives rise to a photon of green light. Which

transition will give rise to a photon of longer wavelength?
A. E1
B. E2
C. E4
D. E5 [1]
Markscheme
Examiners report
This question was well answered by SL candidates, although answer A was

a distractor for many. This question had the highest discrimination index on
this SL paper.
Three statements about radioactive decay are:
I. The rate of decay is exponential.

II. It is unaffected by temperature and pressure.
III. The decay of individual nuclei cannot be predicted.
Which statements are correct?
A. I and II only
B. I and III only
C. II and III only
Markscheme
Examiners report
Option B was the most frequent answer by candidates, suggesting that

many candidates are unclear about the basic characteristics of radioactive
decay.
The background count in a laboratory is 20 counts per second. The
initial observed count rate of a pure sample of nitrogen-13 in this
laboratory is 180 counts per second. The half-life of nitrogen-13 is 10
minutes. What is the expected count rate of the sample after 30
minutes?
A. 20 counts per second
B. 23 counts per second
C. 40 counts per second
D. 60 counts per second [1]
Markscheme
Examiners report
Option B was the most frequent answer, incorrectly selected by candidates

who did not consider the background count in the laboratory.
U undergoes an alpha decay, followed by a beta-minus decay.
238
92
What is the number of protons and neutrons in the resulting nuclide?
[1]
Markscheme
Examiners report
This question was generally well answered by candidates, however a

significant number selected option A (incorrectly) perhaps due to
confusion between nuclear mass and the number of neutrons. This
question had a relatively high discrimination index.
Three statements about electrons are:
I. Electrons interact through virtual photons.

II. Electrons interact through gluons.
III. Electrons interact through particles W and Z.
Which statements identify the particles mediating the forces

experienced by electrons?
A. I and II only
B. I and III only
C. II and III only
Markscheme
B
The energy levels of an atom are shown. How many photons of energy
greater than 1.9 eV can be emitted by this atom?
A. 1
B. 2
C. 3
D. 4 [1]
Markscheme
D
What statement is not true about radioactive decay?
A. The percentage of radioactive nuclei of an isotope in a sample of

that isotope after 7 half-lives is smaller than 1 %.
B. The half-life of a radioactive isotope is the time taken for half the
nuclei in a sample of that isotope to decay.
C. The whole-life of a radioactive isotope is the time taken for all the
nuclei in a sample of that isotope to decay.
D. The half-life of radioactive isotopes range between extremely short

intervals to thousands of millions of years. [1]
Markscheme
Examiners report
There was some questioning about the use of the term 'whole-life' from
teacher comments. As that option (C) was the correct answer and the most
popular it did not confuse the candidates. The statement is clearly incorrect
and the use of a non physics specific term that might be used in a general
discussion was felt to be acceptable.
The age of the Earth is about 4.5 × 109 years.
What area of physics provides experimental evidence for this

conclusion?
A. Newtonian mechanics
B. Optics
C. Radioactivity
D. Electromagnetism [1]
Markscheme
C
A pure sample of iodine-131 decays into xenon with a half-life of 8
days.
number of iodine atoms remaining

What is number of xenon atoms f ormed
after 24 days?
A. 1
B. 1
C. 7
D. 8
7
[1]
Markscheme
Examiners report
The majority of candidates correctly selected option B. This question had

the highest discrimination index on the HL paper.
The diagram shows atomic transitions E1, E2 and E3 when a particular
atom changes its energy state. The wavelengths of the photons that
correspond to these transitions are λ 1 , λ 2 and λ 3 .
What is correct for these wavelengths?
A. λ1 > λ2 > λ3
B. λ1 = λ2 + λ3
C. 1
λ1
=
1
λ 2 +λ 3
D. 1
λ1
=
1
λ2
+
1
λ3
[1]
Markscheme
D
Carbon (C-12) and hydrogen (H-1) undergo nuclear fusion to form
nitrogen.
C+ H →N+ photon
12 1
6 1
What is the number of neutrons and number of nucleons in the

nitrogen nuclide?
[1]
Markscheme
Examiners report
This question was well answered by HL candidates, although a significant

number of candidates incorrectly identified the number of neutrons
present in the nitrogen nuclide.
White light is emitted from a hot filament. The light passes through
hydrogen gas at low pressure and then through a diffraction grating
onto a screen. A pattern of lines against a background appears on the
screen.
What is the appearance of the lines and background on the screen?
[1]
Markscheme
D
A neutron is absorbed by a nucleus of uranium-235(23592
U). One
possible outcome is the production of two nuclides, barium-144

Ba) and krypton-89( Kr).
144 89
(
56 36
How many neutrons are released in this reaction?
A. 0
B. 1
C. 2
D. 3 [1]
Markscheme
Examiners report
Answer C 2 neutrons, was the most popular choice suggesting that

candidates failed to read the question properly and missed 'a neutron is
adsorbed' at the beginning.
A radioactive nuclide X decays into a nuclide Y. The graph shows the
variation with time of the activity A of X. X and Y have the same nucleon
number.
What is true about nuclide X?
A. alpha (α) emitter with a half-life of t
B. alpha (α) emitter with a half-life of 2t
C. beta-minus (β−) emitter with a half-life of t
D. beta-minus (β−) emitter with a half-life of 2t [1]
Markscheme
D
A pure sample of radioactive nuclide X decays into a stable nuclide Y.
What is after two half-lives?

number of atoms of Y
number of atoms of X
A. 1
B. 2
C. 3
D. 4 [1]
Markscheme

The mass of a nucleus of iron-56 (26Fe) is M.
56
What is the mass defect of the nucleus of iron-56?
A. M − 26mp − 56mn
B. 26mp + 30mn − M
C. M − 26mp − 56mn − 26me
D. 26mp + 30mn + 26me − M [1]
Markscheme
B
A proton collides with an electron. What are the possible products of
the collision?
A. Two neutrons
B. Neutron and positron
C. Neutron and antineutrino
D. Neutron and neutrino [1]
Markscheme
D
The Higgs boson was discovered in the Large Hadron Collider at CERN.
Which statements are correct about the discovery of the Higgs boson?
I. It was independent of previous theoretical work.

II. It involved analysing large amounts of experimental data.
III. It was consistent with the standard model of particle physics.
A. I and II only
B. I and III only
C. II and III only
Markscheme
C
A detector measures the count rate from a sample of a radioactive
nuclide. The graph shows the variation with time of the count rate.
The nuclide has a half-life of 20 s. The average background count rate

is constant.
What is the average background count rate?
A. 1 s−1
B. 2 s−1
C. 3 s−1
D. 4 s−1 [1]
Markscheme
C
The Feynman diagram shows an interaction between a proton and an
electron.
What is the charge of the exchange particle and what is the lepton
number of particle X?
[1]
Markscheme
B
A simple model of an atom has three energy levels. The differences
between adjacent energy levels are shown below.
What are the two smallest frequencies in the emission spectrum of this
atom?
A. 0.5 × 1015 Hz and 1.0 × 1015 Hz
B. 0.5 × 1015 Hz and 1.5 × 1015 Hz
C. 1.0 × 1015 Hz and 2.0 × 1015 Hz
D. 1.0 × 1015 Hz and 3.0 × 1015 Hz [1]
Markscheme
C
What is the relation between the value of the unified atomic mass unit
in grams and the value of Avogadro’s constant in mol−1?
A. Their ratio is 1.
B. Their product is 1.
C. Their sum is 1.
D. Their difference is 0. [1]
Markscheme

Three particles are produced when the nuclide 23 12
Mg undergoes beta-
plus (β+) decay. What are two of these particles?
A. 23
11
Na and v
0
0 e
B. −10e and 00ve
C. 23Na and 0ve

0
11
0
D. 1e and 0ve
0
[1]
Markscheme
A
A particle reaction is
¯ + ve .
− +
p + e + Vμ → n + μ
Which conservation law is violated by the reaction?
A. Baryon number
B. Charge
C. Lepton number
D. Momentum [1]
Markscheme
B
When a high-energy α-particle collides with a beryllium-9 (94Be)
nucleus, a nucleus of carbon (Z = 6) may be produced. What are the
products of this reaction?
[1]
Markscheme
B
The diagram below shows four energy levels for the atoms of a gas.
The diagram is drawn to scale. The wavelengths of the photons
emitted by the energy transitions between levels are shown.
What are the wavelengths of spectral lines, emitted by the gas, in order
of decreasing frequency?
A. λ3 , λ2 , λ1 , λ4
B. λ4 , λ1 , λ2 , λ3
C. λ4 , λ3 , λ2 , λ1
D. λ4 , λ2 , λ1 , λ3 [1]
Markscheme
B
A kaon is made up of two quarks. What is the particle classification of a
kaon?
A. Exchange boson
B. Baryon
C. Lepton
D. Meson [1]
Markscheme
D
Consider the Feynman diagram below.
What is the exchange particle X?
A. Lepton
B. Gluon
C. Meson
D. Photon [1]
Markscheme
D
In a hydrogen atom, the sum of the masses of a proton and of an
electron is larger than the mass of the atom. Which interaction is
mainly responsible for this difference?
A. Electromagnetic
B. Strong nuclear
C. Weak nuclear
D. Gravitational [1]
Markscheme
A
Which Feynman diagram describes the annihilation of an electron and
its antiparticle?
[1]
Markscheme
A
A sample of a pure radioactive nuclide initially contains N 0 atoms. The
initial activity of the sample is A 0 .
A second sample of the same nuclide initially contains 2N 0 atoms.
What is the activity of the second sample after three half lives?
A0
A. 2
A0
B. 4
A0
C. 6
A0
D. 8
[1]
Markscheme
B
During the nuclear fission of nucleus X into nucleus Y and nucleus Z,
energy is released. The binding energies per nucleon of X, Y and Z are
B X , B Y and B Z respectively. What is true about the binding energy
per nucleon of X, Y and Z?
A. BY > B X and B Z > B X
B. BX = B Y and B X = B Z
C. BX > B Y and B X > B Z
D. BX = BY + BZ [1]
Markscheme
A
Which graph shows the variation of activity A with time t for a
radioactive nuclide?
[1]
Markscheme
D
What statement about alpha particles, beta particles and gamma
radiation is true?
A. Gamma radiation always travels faster than beta particles in a

vacuum.
B. In air, beta particles produce more ions per unit length travelled
than alpha particles.
C. Alpha particles are always emitted when beta particles are emitted.
D. Alpha particles are deflected in the same direction as beta particles

in a magnetic field. [1]
Markscheme
A
Four of the energy states for an atom are shown. Transition between
any two states is possible.
What is the shortest wavelength of radiation that can be emitted from

these four states?
A.
hc
E 4 −E 1
B.
hc hc
−
E4 E1
C.
hc
E 4 −E 3
D.
hc hc
E4
−
E3
[1]
Markscheme
A
The Feynman diagram shows some of the changes in a proton–proton
collision.
What is the equation for this collision?
A. p + p → p + n + π
+
B. p + p → p + n + π
−
C. p + p → p + n + π
¯
+
D. p + p → p + n + π
¯ [1] −
Markscheme
A
Examiners report
There were some teacher comments that this was not a complete Feynman
diagram however the stem does say that the diagram shows some of the
changes and is intended to make the question easier by not complicating
with particles that do not change. Students should be made aware that
they can expect to see diagrams like this in the future as partial diagrams do
tend to make the situation simpler for students to solve.

The mass of nuclear fuel in a nuclear reactor decreases at the rate of
8 mg every hour. The overall reaction process has an efficiency of
50 %. What is the maximum power output of the reactor?
A. 100 MW
B. 200 MW
C. 100 GW
D. 200 GW [1]
Markscheme
Examiners report
The discrimination index was below the desired 0.2 with a high number of
blank responses and many candidates choosing each of the options. This is
a question requiring consideration of units using 10-6 for mg to kg and also
remembering to allow for efficiency.
The energy levels for an atom are shown to scale.
A photon of wavelength λ is emitted because of a transition from E3 to

E2. Which transition leads to the emission of a photon of longer
wavelength?
A. E4 to E1
B. E4 to E3
C. E3 to E1
D. E2 to E1 [1]
Markscheme
B
A proton, an electron and an alpha particle are at rest. Which particle
has the smallest magnitude of ratio of charge to mass and which
particle has the largest magnitude of ratio of charge to mass?
[1]
Markscheme

X is a radioactive nuclide that decays to a stable nuclide. The activity of
X falls to 16
1
th of its original value in 32 s.
What is the half-life of X?
A. 2 s
B. 4 s
C. 8 s
D. 16 s [1]
Markscheme
C
What is correct about the nature and range of the strong interaction
between nuclear particles?
A. It is attractive at all particle separations.
B. It is attractive for particle separations between 0.7 fm and 3 fm.
C. It is repulsive for particle separations greater than 3 fm.
D. It is repulsive at all particle separations. [1]
Markscheme
B
Nuclide X can decay by two routes. In Route 1 alpha (α) decay is
followed by beta-minus (β–) decay. In Route 2 β– decay is followed by α
decay. P and R are the intermediate products and Q and S are the final
products.
Which statement is correct?
A. Q and S are different isotopes of the same element.
B. The mass numbers of X and R are the same.
C. The atomic numbers of P and R are the same.
D. X and R are different isotopes of the same element. [1]
Markscheme
B
Gamma (γ ) radiation
A. is deflected by a magnetic field.
B. affects a photographic plate.
C. originates in the electron cloud outside a nucleus.
D. is deflected by an electric field. [1]
Markscheme
B
Which property of a nuclide does not change as a result of beta decay?
A. Nucleon number
B. Neutron number
C. Proton number
D. Charge [1]
Markscheme
Examiners report
Response A was the most common (correct) response from a minority of

candidates (38 %). Incorrect responses were evenly divided among the
remaining options.
The rest mass of the helium isotope 32 He is m.
Which expression gives the binding energy per nucleon for 3

2
?
He
2
(2m p +m n +m)c
A. 3
2
(2m p +m n −m)c
B. 3
C. (2m p + m n + m)c
2
D. (2m p + m n − m)c
2
[1]
Markscheme
B
Which of the following atomic energy level transitions corresponds to
photons of the shortest wavelength?
[1]
Markscheme
Examiners report
The most common (incorrect) response was A, where students apparently

assumed energy difference was proportional to the wavelength of the
emitted photon.
A radioactive nuclide with atomic number Z undergoes a process of
beta-plus (β+) decay. What is the atomic number for the nuclide
produced and what is another particle emitted during the decay?
[1]
Markscheme
A
The positions of stable nuclei are plotted by neutron number n and
proton number p. The graph indicates a dotted line for which n = p.
Which graph shows the line of stable nuclides and the shaded region
where unstable nuclei emit beta minus (β-) particles?
[1]
Markscheme
Examiners report
This question proved challenging, a low discrimination index and a

relatively even spread of answers suggests that maybe guesswork was
responsible for the candidates choice.
Three conservation laws in nuclear reactions are
I. conservation of charge
II. conservation of baryon number
III. conservation of lepton number.
The reaction
− +
n → π + e + v̄ e
is proposed.
Which conservation laws are violated in the proposed reaction?
A. I and II only
B. I and III only
C. II and III only
Markscheme
C
Which Feynman diagram shows the emission of a photon by a charged
antiparticle?
[1]
Markscheme
C
The diagram shows the emission spectrum of an atom.
Which of the following atomic energy level models can produce this
spectrum?
[1]
Markscheme
Examiners report
With a low difficulty index, most candidate responses were divided

between (incorrect) responses C and D. Students appeared to select more
familiar energy level diagrams rather than the diagram that best correlated
with the emission spectrum given.
The carbon isotope 14
6
C is radioactive. It decays according to the
equation
14
6
C→ 14
7
N + X+Y
What are X and Y?
[1]
Markscheme
Examiners report
This question was well answered by candidates, with a high discrimination

index.
The π + meson contains an up (u) quark. What is the quark structure of
the π − meson?
A. ud
B. ud¯
C. ūd
D. ūd¯ [1]
Markscheme
C
The graph shows the variation with time of the activity of a pure
sample of a radioactive nuclide.
What percentage of the nuclide remains after 200 s?
A. 3.1 %
B. 6.3 %
C. 13 %
D. 25 % [1]
Markscheme
B
The graph shows the variation of the number of neutrons N with the
atomic number Z for stable nuclei. The same scale is used in the N and Z
axes.
Which information can be inferred from the graph?
I. For stable nuclei with high Z, N is larger than Z.
II. For stable nuclei with small Z, N = Z.
III. All stable nuclei have more neutrons than protons.
A. I and II only
B. I and III only
C. II and III only
Markscheme
A
Copper ( 64
29
Cu) decays to nickel (
64
28
Ni). What are the particles emitted
and the particle that mediates the interaction?
[1]
Markscheme
D
The following interaction is proposed between a proton and a pion.
p+ + π– → K– + π+
The quark content of the π– is ūd and the quark content of the K– is ūs.
Three conservation rules are considered
I. baryon number
II. charge
III. strangeness.
Which conservation rules are violated in this interaction?
A. I and II only
B. I and III only
C. II and III only
Markscheme
B
In the Rutherford-Geiger-Marsden scattering experiment it was
observed that a small percentage of alpha particles are deflected
through large angles.
Three features of the atom are
I. the nucleus is positively charged
II. the nucleus contains neutrons
III. the nucleus is much smaller than the atom.
Which features can be inferred from the observation?
A. I and II only
B. I and III only
C. II and III only
Markscheme
B
The following decay is observed.
μ− → e− + vμ + X
What is particle X?
A. γ
B. v̄e
C. Z0
D. ve [1]
Markscheme
B
Which is the correct Feynman diagram for pair annihilation and pair
production?
[1]
Markscheme
D
Which Feynman diagram shows beta-plus (β+) decay?
[1]
Markscheme
A
The average binding energy per nucleon of the 158
O nucleus is 7.5
MeV. What is the total energy required to separate the nucleons of one
nucleus of 15
8
O?
A. 53 MeV
B. 60 MeV
C. 113 MeV
D. 173 MeV [1]
Markscheme
C
Two pure samples of radioactive nuclides X and Y have the same initial
number of atoms. The half-life of X is T .1
After a time equal to 4 half-lives of X the ratio is

number of atoms of X
number of atoms of Y
1
8
.
What is the half-life of Y?
A. 0.25T 1
2
B. 0.5T 1
C. 3T 1
D. 4T 1
[1]
2
Markscheme
D
The energy-level diagram for an atom that has four energy states is
shown.
What is the number of different wavelengths in the emission spectrum

of this atom?
A. 1
B. 3
C. 6
D. 7 [1]
Markscheme
C
A detector, placed close to a radioactive source, detects an activity of
260 Bq. The average background activity at this location is 20 Bq. The
radioactive nuclide has a half-life of 9 hours.
What activity is detected after 36 hours?
A. 15 Bq
B. 16 Bq
C. 20 Bq
D. 35 Bq [1]
Markscheme

Element X decays through a series of alpha (α) and beta minus (β–)
emissions. Which series of emissions results in an isotope of X?
A. 1α and 2β–
B. 1α and 4β–
C. 2α and 2β–
D. 2α and 3β– [1]
Markscheme
A
A graph of the variation of average binding energy per nucleon with
nucleon number has a maximum. What is indicated by the region
around the maximum?
A. The position below which radioactive decay cannot occur
B. The region in which fission is most likely to occur
C. The position where the most stable nuclides are found
D. The region in which fusion is most likely to occur [1]
Markscheme
C
Three of the fundamental forces between particles are
I. strong nuclear
II. weak nuclear
III. electromagnetic.
What forces are experienced by an electron?
A. I and II only
B. I and III only
C. II and III only
Markscheme

What is correct about the Higgs Boson?
A. It was predicted before it was observed.
B. It was difficult to detect because it is charged.
C. It is not part of the Standard Model.
D. It was difficult to detect because it has no mass. [1]
Markscheme
A
Identify the conservation law violated in the proposed reaction.
p+ + p+ → p+ + n0 + μ+
A. Strangeness
B. Lepton number
C. Charge
D. Baryon number [1]
Markscheme

Which statement about atomic spectra is not true?
A. They provide evidence for discrete energy levels in atoms.
B. Emission and absorption lines of equal frequency correspond to

transitions between the same two energy levels.
C. Absorption lines arise when electrons gain energy.
D. Emission lines always correspond to the visible part of the

electromagnetic spectrum. [1]
Markscheme
D
What gives the total change in nuclear mass and the change in nuclear
binding energy as a result of a nuclear fusion reaction?
[1]
Markscheme
B
The Feynman diagram shows a particle interaction involving a W–
boson.
Which particles are interacting?
A. U and Y
B. W– boson and Y
C. X and Y
D. U and X [1]
Markscheme
© International Baccalaureate Organization, 2024

Chapter 7 All MCQs IB Physics

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Chapter 7 All MCQs IB Physics

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Chapter 7 All MCQs [96 marks]

1. [Maximum mark: 1] 23M.1.SL.TZ1.24

Which emission spectrum represents the transitions?

Option D was the most frequent response by both HL and SL students.

2. [Maximum mark: 1] 23M.1.SL.TZ1.25

I. Most of the atom is empty space.

Which of these claims can be deduced from the Rutherford-Geiger-

B. I and III only

C. II and III only

D. I, II and III [1]

This question was well answered by HL and SL students.

Number of protons Number of neutrons

Count rate / counts per second Time / s

What is the time at which the student measures a count rate of 45

This question was generally well answered, although a lower

Which emission spectrum represents the transitions?

Option D was the most frequent response by both HL and SL students.

8. [Maximum mark: 1] 23M.1.HL.TZ1.22

I. Most of the atom is empty space.

Which of these claims can be deduced from the Rutherford-Geiger-

B. I and III only

C. II and III only

D. I, II and III [1]

This question was well answered by HL and SL students.

speed of the electron in the n = 2 state

The density is…

A. directly proportional to mass number.

B. inversely proportional to nuclear radius.

C. inversely proportional to volume.

D. constant for all nuclei. [1]

Students selected options A and D (correct) with roughly equal frequency,

What is the expression for s?

12. [Maximum mark: 1] 23M.1.HL.TZ2.21

What phenomenon is being investigated?

Count rate / counts per second Time / s

What is the time at which the student measures a count rate of 45

I. The binding energy is the energy required to completely separate

Which statements are true?

B. I and III only

C. II and III only

D. I, II and III [1]

diagram not to scale

wavelength emitted in transition X

What are Y and Z?

A. The classification of variables into scalars and vectors

B. The determination of the velocity of light in different media

D. The equivalence of mass and energy [1]

specif ic energy of this f usion of hydrogen

The most frequently chosen alternative was (incorrect) A. This alternative

The fusion reaction involves two isotopes of hydrogen of different masses.

I. The nucleus of the atom is positively charged.

III. Most of the atom is free space.

Which statements are correct?

B. I and III only

C. II and III only

D. I, II and III [1]

A. It is the mean of the masses of a proton and a neutron.

B. It is the mean of the masses of protons and neutrons in all chemical

What is a possible sequence for these decays?

A. Beta plus, alpha, beta plus

B. Beta minus, alpha, beta minus

C. Alpha, beta plus, beta minus

D. Alpha, beta minus, beta plus [1]

A. Photons during energy transitions between atomic energy states