Question 1

The Yucca Mountain project for nuclear waste disposal

Accepted Answer

A)  was stopped by environmentalists. 
B)  is similar to a project tested in Arizona. 
C)  was favored by most of the citizens in Nevada. 
D)  is a plan to bury nuclear wastes deep below the Earth's surface. 
E)  has been determined to be a failure. 
A)  was stopped by environmentalists. 
B)  is similar to a project tested in Arizona. 
C)  was favored by most of the citizens in Nevada. 
D)  is a plan to bury nuclear wastes deep below the Earth's surface. 
E)  has been determined to be a failure.

Question 2

Safety features in nuclear power plants include

Accepted Answer

A)  a glass-lined regulator for the fuel rods. 
B)  locating nuclear power plants underground. 
C)  recycling the radioactive waste as medical supplies. 
D)  the protocol to insure a meltdown in case of human error. 
E)  a self-contained system for all cooling water coming in contact with the radioactive material. 
A)  a glass-lined regulator for the fuel rods. 
B)  locating nuclear power plants underground. 
C)  recycling the radioactive waste as medical supplies. 
D)  the protocol to insure a meltdown in case of human error. 
E)  a self-contained system for all cooling water coming in contact with the radioactive material.

Question 3

The complete uranium-238 decay chain has a half-life of approximately

Accepted Answer

A)  5,700 years 
B)  4.5 billion years 
C)  7 hours 
D)  4 days 
E)  247,000 years 
A)  5,700 years 
B)  4.5 billion years 
C)  7 hours 
D)  4 days 
E)  247,000 years

Question 4

By what process are scientists making superheavy elements? What is the practical application for this basic research?

Accepted Answer

An accelerator is used to move and colli

Question 5

Elements heavier than uranium have been produced by scientists who

Accepted Answer

A)  changed lead into gold. 
B)  used nuclear fission. 
C)  originally worked with cold fusion. 
D)  bombard a heavy element like lead with krypton ions. 
E)  work on the cutting edge of biological research. 
A)  changed lead into gold. 
B)  used nuclear fission. 
C)  originally worked with cold fusion. 
D)  bombard a heavy element like lead with krypton ions. 
E)  work on the cutting edge of biological research.

Question 6

What is gamma radiation?

Accepted Answer

Gamma radiation is the spontaneous emiss

Question 7

Long-term effects of radioactive exposure can

Accepted Answer

A)  damage chromosomes. 
B)  interrupt cell repair mechanisms. 
C)  cause birth defects. 
D)  None of these. 
E)  improve one's memory. 
A)  damage chromosomes. 
B)  interrupt cell repair mechanisms. 
C)  cause birth defects. 
D)  None of these. 
E)  improve one's memory.

Question 8

Why are atomic nuclei greater than 92 rarely observed in nature?

Accepted Answer

The structure of 92 protons ap

Question 9

How did Ernest Rutherford use a simple experiment to determine the source of helium in his experiment with radioactive materials?

Accepted Answer

Rutherford studied alpha radiation, esse

Question 10

Which force holds the nucleus together?

Accepted Answer

A)  gravity 
B)  strong force 
C)  weak force 
D)  electromagnetic force 
E)  centripetal force 
A)  gravity 
B)  strong force 
C)  weak force 
D)  electromagnetic force 
E)  centripetal force

Question 11

Compare the professional life Marie Curie lived at the turn of the twentieth century with a life she would have had in current times.

Accepted Answer

Marie Curie was not accepted a

Question 12

How do alpha, beta, and gamma radiation each affect the element losing these particles?

Accepted Answer

Alpha and beta radiation change the chem

Question 13

Which of the following is true about radioactive decay?

Accepted Answer

A)  Once a nucleus begins to decay it is destroyed. 
B)  A helium atom was the first particle identified as a product of radioactive decay. 
C)  Gamma decay depends on chemical reactions. 
D)  Alpha decay results in one less neutron and one more proton. 
E)  After beta decay, the number of protons in a nucleus is unchanged. 
A)  Once a nucleus begins to decay it is destroyed. 
B)  A helium atom was the first particle identified as a product of radioactive decay. 
C)  Gamma decay depends on chemical reactions. 
D)  Alpha decay results in one less neutron and one more proton. 
E)  After beta decay, the number of protons in a nucleus is unchanged.

Question 14

When we say that radioactivity is nature's "philosopher's stone," we mean that

Accepted Answer

A)  radioactivity was discovered by Plato. 
B)  the number of neutrons in a radioactive nucleus can change. 
C)  radioactivity can change one element into another by changing the number of protons in a nucleus. 
D)  electron spin varies in a radioactive atom. 
E)  any atom that undergoes radioactive decay eventually becomes an atom of lead. 
A)  radioactivity was discovered by Plato. 
B)  the number of neutrons in a radioactive nucleus can change. 
C)  radioactivity can change one element into another by changing the number of protons in a nucleus. 
D)  electron spin varies in a radioactive atom. 
E)  any atom that undergoes radioactive decay eventually becomes an atom of lead.

Question 15

The amount of energy that is estimated to be contained in the nucleus of a grain of sand would

Accepted Answer

A)  heat a liter of water in a microwave oven for 5 minutes. 
B)  provide a year's worth of energy for the United States. 
C)  equal six dump-truck loads of coal. 
D)  be the same as one day's hydroelectric energy output of Niagara Falls. 
E)  equal the gasoline energy needed for a cross-country trip. 
A)  heat a liter of water in a microwave oven for 5 minutes. 
B)  provide a year's worth of energy for the United States. 
C)  equal six dump-truck loads of coal. 
D)  be the same as one day's hydroelectric energy output of Niagara Falls. 
E)  equal the gasoline energy needed for a cross-country trip.

Question 16

What is radioactivity?

Accepted Answer

Radioactivity is the

Question 17

Electrons and protons differ in their

Accepted Answer

A)  mass and charge. 
B)  charge only. 
C)  chemical identity. 
D)  shape. 
E)  energy. 
A)  mass and charge. 
B)  charge only. 
C)  chemical identity. 
D)  shape. 
E)  energy.

Question 18

How can a homeowner remedy high radon levels in a home?

Accepted Answer

Radon can be dispersed with th

Question 19

How do two isotopes of the same element differ?

Accepted Answer

A)  Their nuclei have different number of protons. 
B)  Their electrons have different orbits. 
C)  They have different electrical charges. 
D)  Their neutrons differ in number. 
E)  They have a different atomic number. 
A)  Their nuclei have different number of protons. 
B)  Their electrons have different orbits. 
C)  They have different electrical charges. 
D)  Their neutrons differ in number. 
E)  They have a different atomic number.

Question 20

An electron is to a beta particle as helium is to a(n)

Accepted Answer

A)  alpha particle. 
B)  beta particle. 
C)  gamma particle. 
D)  isotope. 
E)  neutron. 
A)  alpha particle. 
B)  beta particle. 
C)  gamma particle. 
D)  isotope. 
E)  neutron.

Exam 12: The Nucleus of the Atom: How Do Scientists Determine the Age of the Oldest Human Fossils

The Yucca Mountain project for nuclear waste disposal

Safety features in nuclear power plants include

The complete uranium-238 decay chain has a half-life of approximately

By what process are scientists making superheavy elements? What is the practical application for this basic research?

Elements heavier than uranium have been produced by scientists who

What is gamma radiation?

Long-term effects of radioactive exposure can

Why are atomic nuclei greater than 92 rarely observed in nature?

How did Ernest Rutherford use a simple experiment to determine the source of helium in his experiment with radioactive materials?

Which force holds the nucleus together?

Compare the professional life Marie Curie lived at the turn of the twentieth century with a life she would have had in current times.

How do alpha, beta, and gamma radiation each affect the element losing these particles?

Which of the following is true about radioactive decay?

When we say that radioactivity is nature's "philosopher's stone," we mean that

The amount of energy that is estimated to be contained in the nucleus of a grain of sand would

What is radioactivity?

Electrons and protons differ in their

How can a homeowner remedy high radon levels in a home?

How do two isotopes of the same element differ?

An electron is to a beta particle as helium is to a(n)

Science: a Way of Knowing: How Do You Know What You Know

The Ordered Universe: Why Do Planets Appear to Wander Slowly Across the Sky

Energy: Why Must Animals Eat to Stay Alive

Heat and the Second Law of Thermodynamics: Why Is It Easier to Make an Omelet From an Egg Than to Make an Egg From an Omelet

Electricity and Magnetism: What Is Lightning

Waves and Electromagnetic Radiation: What Is Color

Albert Einstein and the Theory of Relativity: Can a Human Ever Travel Faster Than the Speed of Light, at Warp Speed

The Atom: Why Are There so Many Different Materials in the World

Quantum Mechanics: How Can the Electron Behave Like Both a Particle and a Wave

Atoms in Combination: the Chemical Bond: How Does Blood Clot

Materials and Their Properties: How Have Computers Gotten so Much Faster

The Ultimate Structure of Matter: How Can Antimatter Be Used to Probe the Human Brain

The Stars: How Much Longer Can the Sun Sustain Life on Earth

Cosmology: Will the Universe End

Earth and Other Planets: Is Earth the Only Planet With Life

Plate Tectonics: Can We Predict Destructive Earthquakes

Earths Many Cycles: Will We Ever Run Out of Fresh Water

Ecology, Ecosystems, and the Environment: Are Human Activities Affecting the Global Environment

Strategies of Life: What Is Life

The Living Cell: What Is the Smallest Living Thing

Molecules of Life: What Constitutes a Healthy Diet

Classical and Modern Genetics: Why Do Offspring Resemble Their Parents

The New Science of Life: Can We Cure Cancer

Evolution: How Did Life Emerge on the Ancient Earth

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