Question 1

Which one of the following statements concerning stable nuclei is true?

Accepted Answer

A) Stable nuclei have nucleon numbers less than 83. 
B) Stable nuclei generally have odd atomic numbers. 
C) Stable nuclei have atomic numbers greater than 83. 
D) Stable nuclei generally have an odd number of neutrons. 
E) Stable nuclei generally have more neutrons than protons. 
A) Stable nuclei have nucleon numbers less than 83. 
B) Stable nuclei generally have odd atomic numbers. 
C) Stable nuclei have atomic numbers greater than 83. 
D) Stable nuclei generally have an odd number of neutrons. 
E) Stable nuclei generally have more neutrons than protons. E

Question 2

Which process is involved in determining the age of a prehistoric object?

Accepted Answer

A) alpha decay 
B) beta decay 
C) gamma decay 
D) X-ray absorption 
E) proton absorption 
A) alpha decay 
B) beta decay 
C) gamma decay 
D) X-ray absorption 
E) proton absorption B

Question 3

Which one of the following descriptive terms does not apply to nuclear forces?

Accepted Answer

A) strong 
B) charge-independent 
C) weak 
D) short-range 
E) long-range 
A) strong 
B) charge-independent 
C) weak 
D) short-range 
E) long-range E

Question 4

The half-life a particular isotope of barium is 12 s. What is the activity of a 1.0 × 10-6 kg sample of this isotope?

Accepted Answer

A) 1.2 × 1015 Bq 
B) 1.8 × 1016 Bq 
C) 2.5 × 1017 Bq 
D) 3.6 × 1018 Bq 
E) 6.0 × 1023 Bq 
A) 1.2 × 1015 Bq 
B) 1.8 × 1016 Bq 
C) 2.5 × 1017 Bq 
D) 3.6 × 1018 Bq 
E) 6.0 × 1023 Bq

Question 5

Tritium is an isotope of hydrogen that has two neutrons in addition to its proton. Tritium undergoes $\beta$- decay with a half-life of 12.3 years. What percentage of an initially pure sample of tritium will remain undecayed after 35 years?

Accepted Answer

A) 2.9 % 
B) 6.0 % 
C) 7.0 % 
D) 14 % 
E) 19 % 
A) 2.9 % 
B) 6.0 % 
C) 7.0 % 
D) 14 % 
E) 19 %

Question 6

Which of the following is not an assumption involved in the expression: r = (1.2 × 10-15 m) A1/3?

Accepted Answer

A) Nuclei are incompressible. 
B) The nucleus is spherical in shape. 
C) All nucleons have roughly the same mass. 
D) Nuclear densities are proportional to the mass numbers. 
E) The number of nucleons is proportional to the nuclear mass. 
A) Nuclei are incompressible. 
B) The nucleus is spherical in shape. 
C) All nucleons have roughly the same mass. 
D) Nuclear densities are proportional to the mass numbers. 
E) The number of nucleons is proportional to the nuclear mass.

Question 7

Determine the amount of energy released in this decay. Use the following atomic masses:   Conversion factors: 1 u = 931.5 MeV; 1 eV = 1.602 × 10-19 J

Accepted Answer

A) 3.5 × 10-8 J 
B) 6.0 × 10-10 J 
C) 4.6 × 10-12 J 
D) 7.3 × 10-13 J 
E) 2.9 × 10-12 J 
A) 3.5 × 10-8 J 
B) 6.0 × 10-10 J 
C) 4.6 × 10-12 J 
D) 7.3 × 10-13 J 
E) 2.9 × 10-12 J

Question 8

What is the SI unit for activity?

Accepted Answer

A) Ci 
B) counts/min 
C) Hz 
D) Gy 
E) Bq 
A) Ci 
B) counts/min 
C) Hz 
D) Gy 
E) Bq

Question 9

The activity of carbon-14 in a sample of charcoal from an archaeological site is 0.04 Bq. Determine the age of the sample. The half-life of carbon-14 is 5730 years.

Accepted Answer

A) 10 500 yr 
B) 12 500 yr 
C) 14 500 yr 
D) 16 500 yr 
E) 18 500 yr 
A) 10 500 yr 
B) 12 500 yr 
C) 14 500 yr 
D) 16 500 yr 
E) 18 500 yr

Question 10

The half-life of a particular isotope of iodine is 8.0 days. How much of a 10.0-g sample of this isotope will remain after 30 days?

Accepted Answer

A) 0.37 g 
B) 0.45 g 
C) 0.60 g 
D) 0.74 g 
E) 1.25 g 
A) 0.37 g 
B) 0.45 g 
C) 0.60 g 
D) 0.74 g 
E) 1.25 g

Question 11

What is X?

Accepted Answer

A) $\alpha$ 
B) p 
C) $\beta$+ 
D) $\beta$- 
E) n 
A) $\alpha$ 
B) p 
C) $\beta$+ 
D) $\beta$- 
E) n

Question 12

This question refers to the figure shown. Which one of the following concepts explains why heavy nuclei do not follow the N = Z line (or trend) in the figure?

Accepted Answer

A) transmutation 
B) Coulomb repulsion 
C) particle-wave duality 
D) Pauli exclusion principle 
E) Heisenberg uncertainty principle 
A) transmutation 
B) Coulomb repulsion 
C) particle-wave duality 
D) Pauli exclusion principle 
E) Heisenberg uncertainty principle

Question 13

The ratio of the abundance of carbon-14 to carbon-12 in a sample of dead wood is one quarter the ratio for living wood. If the half-life of carbon-14 is 5730 years, which one of the following expressions determines how many years ago the wood died?

Accepted Answer

A) 2 × 5730 
B) 4 × 5730 
C) 0.75 × 5730 
D) 0.50 × 5730 
E) 0.25 × 5730 
A) 2 × 5730 
B) 4 × 5730 
C) 0.75 × 5730 
D) 0.50 × 5730 
E) 0.25 × 5730

Question 14

Which one of the following statements is true concerning the radioisotope carbon-14 that is used in carbon dating?

Accepted Answer

A) Carbon-14 is produced by living cells. 
B) Carbon-14 is produced during $\beta$- decay. 
C) Carbon-14 is produced by the decay of carbon-12. 
D) Carbon-14 is produced by cells after they have died. 
E) Carbon-14 is produced by cosmic rays striking the atmosphere. 
A) Carbon-14 is produced by living cells. 
B) Carbon-14 is produced during $\beta$- decay. 
C) Carbon-14 is produced by the decay of carbon-12. 
D) Carbon-14 is produced by cells after they have died. 
E) Carbon-14 is produced by cosmic rays striking the atmosphere.

Question 15

What is the wavelength of the 0.059-MeV $\gamma$ ray photon emitted by   ?

Accepted Answer

A) 6.7 × 10-12 m 
B) 1.4 × 10-11 m 
C) 2.1 × 10-11 m 
D) 2.8 × 10-11 m 
E) 3.4 × 10-11 m 
A) 6.7 × 10-12 m 
B) 1.4 × 10-11 m 
C) 2.1 × 10-11 m 
D) 2.8 × 10-11 m 
E) 3.4 × 10-11 m

Question 16

Radiation or(and) particles emerge(s) from a radioactive sample. These products from the sample are allowed to pass through a narrow slit and may be considered a beam. The beam is passed between two plates that carry opposite electrical charge. The experimental region contains no magnetic fields. It is observed that the beam is deflected toward the negatively charged plate.   Which one of the following statements is the best conclusion for this situation?

Accepted Answer

A) The beam is only $\alpha$ rays. 
B) The beam is only $\beta$- rays. 
C) The beam is only $\gamma$ rays. 
D) The beam could be either $\alpha$ rays or $\beta$+ rays. 
E) The beam could be $\alpha$ rays, $\beta$+ rays, or $\gamma$ rays. 
A) The beam is only $\alpha$ rays. 
B) The beam is only $\beta$- rays. 
C) The beam is only $\gamma$ rays. 
D) The beam could be either $\alpha$ rays or $\beta$+ rays. 
E) The beam could be $\alpha$ rays, $\beta$+ rays, or $\gamma$ rays.

Question 17

An isotope of krypton has a half-life of 3 minutes. A sample of this isotope produces 1000 counts per minute in a Geiger counter. Determine the number of counts per minute produced after 15 minutes.

Accepted Answer

A) zero 
B) 15 
C) 30 
D) 60 
E) 1000 
A) zero 
B) 15 
C) 30 
D) 60 
E) 1000

Question 18

Complete the following sentence: In a $\beta$+ decay process, the emitted particle is

Accepted Answer

A) an electron. 
B) a neutron. 
C) a positron. 
D) a proton. 
E) a photon. 
A) an electron. 
B) a neutron. 
C) a positron. 
D) a proton. 
E) a photon.

Question 19

The same activity is measured for two different isotope samples. One sample contains 0.0450 kg of   (atomic mass = 230.033 937 u, t1/2 = 20.8 days). The second sample contains an unknown amount of   (atomic mass = 231.036 264 u, t1/2 = 4.3 days). What is the mass of the second sample?

Accepted Answer

A) 0.0093 kg 
B) 0.23 kg 
C) 0.110 kg 
D) 0.037 kg 
E) 0.0450 kg 
A) 0.0093 kg 
B) 0.23 kg 
C) 0.110 kg 
D) 0.037 kg 
E) 0.0450 kg

Question 20

Osmium has atomic number 76. A particular isotope of osmium has an atomic mass of 191.961 u. Which symbol correctly represents this isotope?

Accepted Answer

A)    
B)    
C)    
D)    
E)    
A)    
B)    
C)    
D)    
E)

Exam 31: Nuclear Physics and Radioactivity

Which one of the following statements concerning stable nuclei is true?

Which process is involved in determining the age of a prehistoric object?

Which one of the following descriptive terms does not apply to nuclear forces?

The half-life a particular isotope of barium is 12 s. What is the activity of a 1.0 × 10-6 kg sample of this isotope?

Tritium is an isotope of hydrogen that has two neutrons in addition to its proton. Tritium undergoes β\betaβ - decay with a half-life of 12.3 years. What percentage of an initially pure sample of tritium will remain undecayed after 35 years?

Which of the following is not an assumption involved in the expression: r = (1.2 × 10-15 m) A1/3?

Determine the amount of energy released in this decay. Use the following atomic masses: Conversion factors: 1 u = 931.5 MeV; 1 eV = 1.602 × 10-19 J

What is the SI unit for activity?

The activity of carbon-14 in a sample of charcoal from an archaeological site is 0.04 Bq. Determine the age of the sample. The half-life of carbon-14 is 5730 years.

The half-life of a particular isotope of iodine is 8.0 days. How much of a 10.0-g sample of this isotope will remain after 30 days?

What is X?

This question refers to the figure shown. Which one of the following concepts explains why heavy nuclei do not follow the N = Z line (or trend) in the figure?

The ratio of the abundance of carbon-14 to carbon-12 in a sample of dead wood is one quarter the ratio for living wood. If the half-life of carbon-14 is 5730 years, which one of the following expressions determines how many years ago the wood died?

Which one of the following statements is true concerning the radioisotope carbon-14 that is used in carbon dating?

What is the wavelength of the 0.059-MeV γ\gammaγ ray photon emitted by ?

An isotope of krypton has a half-life of 3 minutes. A sample of this isotope produces 1000 counts per minute in a Geiger counter. Determine the number of counts per minute produced after 15 minutes.

Complete the following sentence: In a β\betaβ + decay process, the emitted particle is

The same activity is measured for two different isotope samples. One sample contains 0.0450 kg of (atomic mass = 230.033 937 u, t1/2 = 20.8 days). The second sample contains an unknown amount of (atomic mass = 231.036 264 u, t1/2 = 4.3 days). What is the mass of the second sample?

Osmium has atomic number 76. A particular isotope of osmium has an atomic mass of 191.961 u. Which symbol correctly represents this isotope?

Introduction and Mathematical Concepts

Kinematics in One Dimension

Kinematics in Two Dimensions

Forces and Newtons Laws of Motion

Dynamics of Uniform Circular Motion

Work and Energy

Impulse and Momentum

Rotational Kinematics

Rotational Dynamics

Simple Harmonic Motion and Elasticity

Fluids

Temperature and Heat

The Transfer of Heat

The Ideal Gas Law and Kinetic Theory

Thermodynamics

Waves and Sound

The Principle of Linear Superposition and Interference Phenomena

Electric Forces and Electric Fields

Electric Potential Energy and the Electric Potential

Electric Circuits

Magnetic Forces and Magnetic Fields

Electromagnetic Induction

Alternating Current Circuits

Electromagnetic Waves

The Refl Ection of Light: Mirrors

The Refraction of Light: Lenses and Optical Instruments

Interference and the Wave Nature of Light

Special Relativity

Particles and Waves

The Nature of the Atom

Ionizing Radiation, Nuclear Energy, and Elementary Particles

Filters

The half-life a particular isotope of barium is 12 s. What is the activity of a 1.0 × 10^-⁶ kg sample of this isotope?

Tritium is an isotope of hydrogen that has two neutrons in addition to its proton. Tritium undergoes $\beta$ ^- decay with a half-life of 12.3 years. What percentage of an initially pure sample of tritium will remain undecayed after 35 years?

Which of the following is not an assumption involved in the expression: r = (1.2 × 10^-¹⁵ m) A^1/3?

Determine the amount of energy released in this decay. Use the following atomic masses: Conversion factors: 1 u = 931.5 MeV; 1 eV = 1.602 × 10^-¹⁹ J

What is the wavelength of the 0.059-MeV $\gamma$ ray photon emitted by $What is the wavelength of the 0.059-MeV \gamma ray photon emitted by ?$ ?

Complete the following sentence: In a $\beta$ ⁺decay process, the emitted particle is

The same activity is measured for two different isotope samples. One sample contains 0.0450 kg of (atomic mass = 230.033 937 u, t_1/2 = 20.8 days). The second sample contains an unknown amount of (atomic mass = 231.036 264 u, t_1/2 = 4.3 days). What is the mass of the second sample?