Paper 1 Nuclear Physics Drills

Q1

Nucleon number is the number of

A. protons plus neutrons.
B. protons only.
C. neutrons only.
D. electrons only.

Q2

Proton number determines

A. the isotope mass only.
B. the element.
C. half-life always.
D. activity only.

Q3

Alpha decay emits

A. a helium-4 nucleus.
B. an electron only.
C. a photon only.
D. a neutron only.

Q4

Beta-minus decay increases proton number by

A. 2.
B. 0.
C. 1.
D. -1.

Q5

Gamma emission changes nucleon number by

A. 0.
B. 1.
C. 4.
D. -4.

Q6

Activity is

A. energy per nucleus.
B. mass defect.
C. dose equivalent only.
D. decays per unit time.

Q7

Radioactive decay is random for

A. individual nuclei.
B. large samples only deterministic nuclei.
C. stable atoms only.
D. photons only.

Q8

Half-life is the time for activity or undecayed nuclei to fall to

A. zero.
B. half.
C. twice.
D. $1/e^2$.

Q9

Decay constant $\lambda$ is related to half-life by

A. $T_{1/2}=\ln 2/\lambda$.
B. $T_{1/2}=\lambda /\ln 2$.
C. $T_{1/2}=2\lambda$.
D. $T_{1/2}=1/{\lambda }^2$.

Q10

Background count should be

A. added twice.
B. ignored always.
C. subtracted from measured count rate.
D. used as half-life.

Q11

Binding energy is energy required to

A. separate a nucleus into individual nucleons.
B. ionise an atom only.
C. heat a gas.
D. move an electron between shells only.

Q12

Mass defect leads to nuclear energy via

A. $E=hf$ only.
B. $E=\Delta m{c}^2$.
C. $E=QV$.
D. $E=pV$.

Q13

Fission of heavy nuclei releases energy because products have

A. higher binding energy per nucleon.
B. lower binding energy per nucleon.
C. zero binding energy.
D. larger total mass.

Q14

Fusion of light nuclei releases energy because products move

A. toward lower binding energy per nucleon.
B. to zero nucleon number.
C. away from stability always.
D. toward higher binding energy per nucleon.

Q15

Very high temperature is needed for fusion mainly to overcome

A. electrostatic repulsion between nuclei.
B. electron diffraction.
C. air resistance.
D. transformer loss.

Q16

Ionising radiation is radiation that can

A. only heat water.
B. only produce sound.
C. remove electrons from atoms.
D. never affect matter.

Q17

Alpha radiation from an external source is normally stopped by

A. several centimetres of lead only.
B. nothing.
C. a thin sheet of aluminium but not paper.
D. a few centimetres of air or a sheet of paper.

Q18

Gamma radiation is

A. helium nuclei.
B. high-frequency electromagnetic radiation.
C. electrons.
D. neutrons only.

Q19

Contamination means

A. radioactive material is present on/in an object.
B. exposure to radiation without material present.
C. background subtraction.
D. shielding.

Q20

In beta decay, neutrino prediction was linked to conservation of

A. resistance.
B. capacitance.
C. temperature.
D. energy and momentum.