Exam 32: Nuclear Physics and Nuclear Radiation

Fermium-253 has a half-life of 3.00 days. A sample of fermium has 7.37 × 10⁷ nuclei. How long will it take for there to be only 3.36 × 10⁶ fermium nuclei in this sample?

What are the mass number and the atomic number for each of the following: (a) proton? (b) neutron? (c) alpha particle?

One of the particle groups listed below includes two other groups on the list. Which group is it?

Carbon-14 has a half-life of 5730 years. A sample of wood has been recovered by an archaeologist. The sample is sent to a laboratory, where it is determined that the activity of the sample is 0.144 Bq/g. By comparing this activity with the activity of living organic matter, 0.230 Bq/g, the scientist determines how old the wood sample is, or more precisely, when the tree that the sample came from died. How old is the sample of wood?

An oxygen-15 nucleus ( ) decays by emitting a β+ ray and one other particle. What is the other particle?

When an unstable nucleus decays by emitting an alpha particle, the atomic mass number of the nucleus

Gravity waves are produced when a mass accelerates.

In beta minus decay, the number of protons in the nucleus is

The neutral deuterium atom, , has a mass of 2.014102 u; a neutral hydrogen atom has a mass of 1.007825 u; a neutron has a mass of 1.008665 u; and a proton has a mass of 1.007277 u. What is the binding energy of the nucleus? 1 u = 931.494 MeV/c².

Complete the following nuclear decay equation: → + ________

The density of a nucleus (to a reasonable approximation) is independent of the mass number.

Scientists hope that some day they will be able to produce a theory which will combine the strong force, the weak nuclear force, and electromagnetism. This theory has been called

If the "half life" for Radium-226 is 1600. years, how long is the "quarter life"?

Plutonium-239 decays into uranium-235 plus an alpha particle. The energy released in the process is 5.24 MeV. Given the following mass values: , 4.002603 u; , 235.043924 u; what is the mass value of ? 1 u = 931.494 MeV/c².

What is the missing term in this fission reaction: + → + ? + 4

The number of radioactive nuclei in a particular sample decreases to one-eighth of its original number in 9 days. What is the half-life of these nuclei?

Radium-226 decays into radon-222 plus an alpha particle. How much energy is released in this process? 1 u = 931.494 MeV/c². The relevant mass values are: , 4.002603 u; , 222.017570 u; , 226.025402 u.

If a 2.0-MeV neutron released in a fission reaction loses half its energy in each moderator collision, how may collisions are needed to bring it to (1/25) eV?

All nuclei of a given element have the same number of neutrons.

A radioactive substance containing 4.00 × 10¹⁶ unstable atoms has a half-life of 2.0 days. What is its activity (in curies) after 1 day?