Chapter 26 Nuclear Physics Flashcards
What physical properties of Nuclear waste make it dangerous?
It is ionising
It stays radioactive for a long time
What form is the energy released as in a fission reaction?
Kinetic energy
Describe the process of induced nuclear fission?
A neutron is absorbed by a massive Uranium Nucleus and splits into 2 daughter nuclei with some neutrons, releasing energy in the form of kinetic energy.
What is a moderator?
A moderator is a material like graphite or water which slows down fast moving neutrons so they have a better chance of causing more fission reactions.
Where might an antiproton be found?
The sun
What is the binding energy of a nucleus?
The minimum energy required to separate each nucleon to infinity.
What are two similarities with isotopes of the same element?
They have the same number of protons and they have the same chemical properties
In practice fusion occurs at a much lower temperature. Suggest a reason why?
Some nuclei will be travelling faster and have a greater KE than average.
What is a control rod?
A rod of material which absorbs fast moving neutrons.
How much smaller is the diameter of a nucleus than the diameter of an atom?
10^4
What 2 quantities are conserved in beta plus decay?
mass energy and charge and lepton number
Why can’t elements with a nucleon number bigger than iron produce energy by fusion?
The binding energy per nucleon would decrease for fusion which is impossible
What is a nuclide?
Nuclide refers to a particular nuclear structure.
What does radioactive mean?
Emission of ionising radiation.
