Deck 2: Atoms

Question 1

What makes an element distinct?

A) the number of neutrons
B) the number of protons
C) the number of electrons
D) the total mass of all the particles
E) none of these

Answer 1

the number of protons

Question 2

An atomic mass unit (amu) is 1/12 the mass of

A) a hydrogen atom.
B) a carbon atom.
C) an electron.
D) a proton.
E) a uranium atom.

Answer 2

a carbon atom.

Question 3

The air in this room has

A) energy.
B) weight.
C) mass.
D) all of these
E) none of these

Answer 3

all of these

Question 4

In an electrically neutral atom, the number of protons in the nucleus is balanced by an equal number of

A) quarks.
B) orbital electrons.
C) neutrons.
D) all of these
E) none of these

Question 5

Which of these atoms has the greatest amount of electrical charge in its nucleus?

A) carbon
B) uranium
C) gold
D) helium
E) iron

Question 6

Compared to the atoms that make up the body of an elderly person, the atoms that make up the body of a newborn baby are

A) the same age.
B) newer.
C) actually older.

Question 7

If one neutron is added to a helium nucleus, the result is

A) hydrogen.
B) lithium.
C) helium.
D) beryllium.
E) boron.

Question 8

To change mercury into gold, a pair of protons must be

A) added to the gold nucleus.
B) removed from the mercury nucleus.
C) removed from the gold nucleus
D) added to the mercury nucleus.
E) None of the above is true.

Question 9

The volume of matter comes mostly from its

A) protons.
B) neutrons
C) electrons.

Question 10

The smallest particle of those listed below is

A) a quark.
B) a neutron.
C) a molecule.
D) an atom.
E) a proton.

Question 11

Atoms heavier than hydrogen were made by

A) radioactivity.
B) radiant energy conversion.
C) photosynthesis.
D) nuclear fusion.
E) none of these

Question 12

If an astronaut landed on a planet made of antimatter, there would be an explosion and

A) the planet would annihilate.
B) the astronaut would annihilate.
C) the astronaut and an equal amount of the planet would both annihilate.
D) an amount of planet matter equal to that of the astronaut would annihilate.

Question 13

In a closed bottle are a certain number of hydrogen molecules. In an identical closed bottle at the same temperature and internal pressure are a certain number of nitrogen molecules. The bottle
With the greater number of molecules is the one containing

A) nitrogen.
B) hydrogen.
C) both the same

Question 14

Nuclei of atoms that make up a newborn baby were made in

A) the mother's womb.
B) the food the mother eats before giving birth.
C) the Earth.
D) ancient stars.
E) none of these

Question 15

Compared to the energy it takes to separate oxygen and hydrogen from water, the amount of energy given off when they recombine is

A) the same.
B) slightly less.
C) much more.
D) slightly more.
E) much less.

Question 16

A positron orbiting an antiproton would make up an atom of

A) positronium.
B) anti-hydrogen.
C) anti-helium.
D) unobtainium.
E) none of these

Question 17

The chemical properties of matter come mostly from its

A) electrons.
B) protons.
C) neutrons.

Question 18

A force that determines the chemical properties of an atom is a

A) electrical force.
B) nuclear force.
C) gravitational force.
D) friction force.
E) none of these

Question 19

Which of these statements is true?

A) Molecules form atoms that in turn determine chemical properties of a substance.
B) Chemical elements are made up of about 100 distinct molecules.
C) A molecule is the smallest particle that exists.
D) Molecules are the smallest subdivision of matter that still retains chemical properties of a substance.
E) None of these statements is true.

Question 20

Which of the following is not a mixture?

A) air
B) granite
C) beach sand
D) cake
E) None. All of the above choices are mixtures.

Question 21

When carbon and oxygen atoms combine, energy is

A) given off by the reaction.
B) taken in by the reaction.
C) not involved.

Question 22

The reason a granite block is mostly empty space is that the atoms in the granite are

A) held together by electrical forces.
B) in perpetual motion.
C) invisible.
D) mostly empty space themselves.
E) not as close together as they could be.

Question 23

In our part of the universe, antimatter is

A) long-lived.
B) non-existent.
C) short-lived.
D) plentiful.

Question 24

How many protons should be added to the nuclei of oxygen atoms so the resulting gas will glow red when there is an electric current through it?

A) 1
B) 2
C) 3
D) 4
E) But protons will have to be subtracted, not added.

Question 25

Which of these atoms has the most mass?

A) lead
B) iron
C) hydrogen
D) uranium
E) All have the same mass.

Question 26

Which of these atoms has the greatest number of electrons?

A) carbon
B) helium
C) gold
D) uranium
E) iron

Question 27

Which of the following are electrically neutral?

A) neutron
B) ion
C) proton
D) electron
E) none of these

Question 28

If a gram of antimatter meets a kilogram of matter, the amount of mass to survive is

A) 1 kilogram.
B) 1 gram.
C) 999 grams.
D) 1.1 kilogram.

Question 29

Brownian motion has to do with the

A) first direct measurement of atomic motion.
B) rhythmic movements of atoms in a liquid.
C) size of atoms.
D) random motions of atoms and molecules.
E) atomic vibrations.

Question 30

Which has the greatest number of protons in its nucleus?

A) mercury.
B) lead.
C) gold.
D) silver.

Question 31

There are about as many atoms of air in our lungs at any moment as there are breaths of air in the atmosphere of

A) the United States.
B) the whole world.
C) a large auditorium.
D) a large city.
E) none of these

Question 32

Assuming all the atoms exhaled by Julius Caesar in his last dying breath are still in the atmosphere, then we probably breathe one of those atoms with each

A) ten years.
B) single breath.
C) month.
D) day.
E) It depends-some people still breathe a few of Caesar's atoms every day, while others wouldn't breathe one for an entire year.

Question 33

If a pair of helium nuclei are fused together, the result is

A) helium isotope.
B) beryllium.
C) lithium.
D) boron.
E) carbon.

Question 34

The weight of matter comes mostly from its

A) neutrons
B) protons.
C) electrons.

Question 35

A factor that usually determines whether a substance is in the solid, liquid, gaseous, or plasma state is its

A) composition.
B) temperature.
C) atomic shell configuration.
D) atomic number.
E) none of these

Question 36

How many different elements are in a water molecule?

A) one
B) two
C) three
D) four
E) none

Question 37

If we doubled the magnifying power of the most powerful optical microscope in the world, we would

A) still not be able to see or photograph an atom.
B) be able to photograph individual atoms, even though we couldn't see them.
C) be able to see individual atoms.

Question 38

Which of the following statements is true?

A) There are only about 100 different kinds of atoms that combine to form all substances.
B) An atom is the smallest particle known to exist.
C) A large atom can be photographed with the aid of an ordinary microscope.
D) There are thousands of different kinds of atoms that account for a wide variety of substances.
E) None of these statements are true.

Question 39

If two protons are added to an oxygen nucleus, the result is

A) nitrogen.
B) heavy oxygen.
C) fluorine.
D) sodium.
E) neon.

Question 40

What is the molecular mass of a water molecule?

A) 10 amu
B) 18 amu
C) 15 amu
D) 12 amu
E) None of these. It depends on the temperature.

Question 41

Compared to the mass of a hydrogen atom, the mass of an oxygen atom is

A) 12 times as great.
B) 16 times as great.
C) 8 times as great.
D) appreciably more than 16 times as great.

Question 42

A molecule has

A) energy.
B) structure.
C) mass.
D) all of these
E) none of these

Question 43

Solid matter is mostly empty space. The reason solids don't fall through one another is because

A) atoms are constantly vibrating, even at absolute zero.
B) of gravitational forces.
C) of nuclear forces.
D) of electrical forces.
E) none of these

Question 44

If two protons are removed from an oxygen nucleus, the result is

A) helium.
B) neon.
C) nitrogen.
D) carbon.
E) positively charged oxygen.