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Atomic & Nuclear Physics · Part 2 of 5
6 exam-style questions with model answers, plus 9 quick multi-choice questions — every question on this part of the standard, grouped by the 2 pages of notes they come from.
Write a full answer before you reveal the model one. That comparison is where the learning happens.
An atom is represented as .
State the number of protons and the number of neutrons in this atom.
Two atoms are represented as and .
Explain what these two atoms are to each other, and state one way in which they are the same and one way in which they differ.
A small nucleus tends to be stable with roughly equal numbers of protons and neutrons, but a large nucleus needs proportionally more neutrons than protons to be stable.
Explain fully why this is the case, referring to the forces acting inside the nucleus.
State what an alpha particle is made of, and state its relative charge.
A student places a Geiger counter next to a radioactive source. The count rate drops sharply when a single sheet of paper is placed in the way, but a further increase in shielding to several mm of aluminium makes almost no additional difference.
Explain what this tells you about the type(s) of radiation being emitted.
A radioactive source emitting all three types of radiation is placed between two charged parallel plates, with the beam initially travelling straight down the middle. Explain fully what happens to each type of radiation, and why they behave differently, referring to charge, mass and ionising ability.