Download Physics: Principles and Applications, 6e Giancoli

Chapter 30 & 31: Nuclear Physics and Radioactivity
1) An atom's mass number is determined by the number of
A) neutrons in its nucleus.
B) nucleons in its nucleus.
C) protons in its nucleus.
D) alpha particles in its nucleus.
2) The number of protons in an atom is
A) zero.
C) equal to the number of electrons.
B) equal to the number of neutrons.
D) the same for all elements.
3) There is a limit to the size of a stable nucleus because of
A) the limited range of the strong nuclear force.
B) the weakness of the electrostatic force.
C) the weakness of the gravitational force.
D) none of the given answers
4) Atoms with the same atomic number but with different numbers of neutrons are referred to as
A) nucleons.
B) nuclides.
C) isotopes.
D) none of the given answers
5) Compared to the masses of its separate protons and neutrons, the total mass of a stable nucleus
is always
A) less.
B) the same.
C) greater.
D) zero.
6) When nucleons join to form a stable nucleus, energy is
A) destroyed.
B) absorbed.
C) released.
D) not transferred.
7) The binding energy of a nucleus is contributed to
A) radioactivity.
B) alpha decay.
C) too many neutrons.
D) mass defect.
8) The binding energy per nucleon
A) increases steadily as we go to heavier elements.
B) decreases steadily as we go to heavier elements.
C) is approximately constant throughout the periodic table, except for very light nuclei.
D) has a maximum near iron in the periodic table.
9) Compared to the electrostatic force, the nuclear force between adjacent protons in a nucleus is
A) much weaker.
B) about the same size.
C) only slightly larger.
D) much larger.
10) A β- particle is also known as
A) an electron.
B) a positron.
C) a helium nucleus. D) a photon.
11) A β+ particle is also known as
A) an electron.
B) a positron.
C) a helium nucleus. D) a photon.
12) Alpha particles have an atomic mass equal to
A) 1.
B) 2.
C) 4.
D) 6.
13) When an alpha particle is emitted from an unstable nucleus, the atomic mass number of the
nucleus
A) increases by 2.
B) decreases by 2.
C) increases by 4.
D) decreases by 4.
14) When a β+ particle is emitted from an unstable nucleus, the atomic number of the nucleus
A) increases by 1.
B) decreases by 1.
C) does not change.
D) none of the given answers
15) Which particle has the most mass?
A) alpha
B) beta
C) electron
D) gamma
16) In all three types of radioactive decay, what value is conserved in addition to electric charge,
energy, and momentum?
A) atomic number
B) neutron number
C) nucleon number
D) none of the given answers
17) Calculate the binding energy of 4He.
A) 28.3 MeV
B) 20.4 MeV
C) 14.2 MeV
D) 7.80 MeV
18) An element with atomic number 88 goes through alpha decay. Its atomic number is now
A) 80.
B) 84.
C) 86.
D) 88.
19) An atom has 98 protons and 249 nucleons. If it undergoes alpha decay, what are the number
of protons and neutrons, respectively, in the daughter nucleus?
A) 100, 245
B) 94, 247
C) 96, 245
D) 100, 249
20) An element with atomic number 6 undergoes β- decay. Its atomic number is now
A) 7.
B) 6.
C) 5.
D) 2.
21) The process during which a heavy nucleus such as uranium splits into two intermediate-sized
nuclei after being struck by a neutron is referred to as
A) nuclear fission.
B) nuclear fusion.
22) The process during which small nuclei combine to form larger ones is referred to as
A) nuclear fission.
B) nuclear fusion.
23) How does the total mass of the products of a nuclear fission reaction compare to the mass of
the original elements?
A) greater
B) less
C) the same
D) varies according to the reaction
1
16
4
24) Complete the following nuclear reaction: 8 O + 0n → ________ + 2He
A) 12C
B) 13C
25) Complete the following nuclear
A) 1p
B) 1n
C) 14C
38
reaction:19K
+
1
1H
→ ________ +
C) 2H
D) 15C
38
20Ca
D) 3H