CHAPTER 22 : NUCLEAR ATOM

22.1 ATOMIC STRUCTURE

Discovering the nucleus of an atom:
- Most of the mass of an atom is concentrated in the central nucleus.
- The nucleus is positively charged
- The nucleus is tiny compared to the atom; an atom is mainly empty space
 22.2 PROTONS, NEUTRONS AND ELECTRONS

Parts of the Atom

The nucleus contains:
Protons - positively charged particles
with a relative atomic mass of one unit
Neutrons – no charge, and also with a
relative atomic mass of one unit
Almost all of the atom is empty space, but
moving around the nucleus there are:
Electrons – negative charge with almost
no mass
 ISOTOPES

Isotopes are atoms of the same element that have an equal number of
protons but different number of neutrons

• The number of electrons and

protons in different isotopes
remains the same
• Isotopes tend to be more
unstable due to the
imbalance of protons and
neutrons
The mass number of Chlorine is given as 35.5 because it has roughly
equal numbers of isotopes with a mass number of 35, and of 36.
 22.3 Nuclear fission

The process produce energy by splitting nuclei which is nuclear fission.

krypton

Barium
Uranium
 22.4 Nuclear fusion
Nuclear fusion produces even more energy than nuclear fission.

Fusion is when two nuclei join together to form a larger nucleus.

This can only happen at extremely high temperatures.

Fusion is the process by which stars produce heat and light.

CHAPTER 23 : RADIOACTIVITY
 23.1 BACKGROUND RADIATION

Radiation includes particles and

electromagnetic waves that are
emitted by some materials and
carry energy.
There are two types of background
radiation:
 Natural sources
 Man-made sources
 Natural sources
1. Radon gas from rocks and soil.
2. Cosmic rays from space.
The sun emits an enormous number of
protons every second. Some of these
enter the Earth’s atmosphere at high
speeds. When they collide with molecules
in the air, this leads to the production of
gamma radiation.
3. Carbon-14 in biological material
All organic matter contains a tiny
amount of carbon-14
Living plants and animals constantly
replace the supply of carbon in their
systems
4. Radioactive material in food and
drink
Naturally occurring radioactive
elements can get into food and water
since they are in contact with rocks
and soil containing these elements
 Man – Made sources

1. Nuclear waste 2. Nuclear fallout from nuclear

weapons

3. Medical sources ( X ray, Gamma ray) 4. Nuclear accidents

Background radiation: The radiation from the environment to which we
are exposed all the time.
We use counter to monitor radiation levels.

Count rate: the number of decaying radioactive atoms detected each second
(minute or hour)
 23.2 RADIAOACTIVE DECAY

Radioactive decay: Nuclei are unstable and give out radiation in order
to become more stable
Decay particles in the electric field
Decay particles in the magnetic field
 Half life

Half life the average time taken for half the atoms in a sample of a
radioactive material to decay
• https://www.passmyexams.co.uk/GCSE/physics/alpha-particles-in-
smoke-detectors.html