Nuclear Physics

Question 1

Work

Answer 1

a force acting through a distance

Question 2

force

Answer 2

any action on an object that can cause the object to change speed or direction

Question 3

energy

Answer 3

the ability to do work

Question 4

5 forms of energy

Answer 4

Kinetic Energy (KE)
Potential Energy (PE)
Thermal Energy (TE)
Chemical Energy (CE)
Electrical Energy (EE)

Question 5

anything that has mass and takes up space

Answer 5

matter

Question 6

Solid, Liquid, Gas (vapor)

Answer 6

3 phases of matter

Question 7

anything that takes up space and has a charge

Answer 7

mass

Question 8

positively charged (+)
1.00727 amu
at the nucleus
the number of ______ determines the element

Answer 8

protons

Question 9

neutrally charged (0)
1.00866 amu
at the nucleus
determines the isotope of an element

Answer 9

neutrons

Question 10

negatively charged (-)
0.000548 amu
makes up the cloud/rings/volume
the outer most shell determines the chemical behavior or properties of an atom

Answer 10

electron

Question 11

atomic number

Answer 11

the number of protons

Question 12

mass

Answer 12

the number of protons plus neutrons

Question 13

Nuclide Notation:
X
Z
A

Answer 13

x = symbol for element
z = atomic number: number of protons
A = Mass number: number of protons (Z) plus number of neutrons (N)

Question 14

periods

Answer 14

rows on the periodic table that tells us how many energy shells

Question 15

groups

Answer 15

columns that tells us the number of valence electrons and how the element will be have chemically and have similar chemical properties

Question 16

only has two electrons

Answer 16

k-shell

Question 17

neutrons and protons

constituent particle of the atomic nucleus

Answer 17

nucleon

Question 18

atom characterized by the constitution of its nucleus, which is specified by a combination of protons and neutrons

Answer 18

Nuclide

Question 19

nuclides which have the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons

Answer 19

Isotope

Question 20

nuclides which have the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons

Answer 20

isotope

Question 21

E = mc^2

Answer 21

Mass-Energy Equivalence Formula

Question 22

mass and energy are interchangeable

Answer 22

Mass-Energy Equivalence Formula

Question 23

Pair Annihilation

Answer 23

where a positron and an negatron collide and are transformed into two photons of electromagnetic energy 0.511MeV

Question 24

mass defect

Answer 24

total mass of the atom is less than the sum of the masses of the individual protons and neutrons

Question 25

binding energy

Answer 25

the energy equivalent of mass defect

Question 26

if the total binding energy of a nucleus is divided by the total number of nucleons in the nucleus

Question 27

very weak attractive force between all nucleons relatively long range

Answer 27

gravitational force

Question 28

strong repulsive force between like particles (protons) relatively long range

Answer 28

electrostatic force

Question 29

strong attractive force between all nucleons extremely short range

Answer 29

nuclear force

Question 30

When an atom is radioactive it will change its nuclear configuration by eliminating surplus nucleons through transformations. This is done by changing neutrons to protons, or vice versa, and then ejecting the surplus mass or energy from the nucleus.

Answer 30

Radiation

Question 31

the property of certain nuclides to spontaneously emit radiation

Answer 31

radioactivity

Question 32

radioactive decay

Answer 32

process by which a nucleus spontaneously disintegrates (or is transformed) by one or more discrete energy steps until a stable state is reached

Question 33

parent

Answer 33

the nucleus before the decay

Question 34

daughter

Answer 34

the nucleus after the decay

Question 35

decay chain

Answer 35

the various steps from parent to daughter are traced to stability, a series of transmutations is seen a complete chain includes the original parent, all of its daughters, and the final stable, end-product

Question 36

when the parent activity equals the daughter activity at the same time

Answer 36

radioactive equilibrium

Question 37

a nucleus in an excited state (higher energy level) but has the same atomic number and mass number

Answer 37

isomer

Question 38

isomeric transition

Answer 38

occurs immediately after particle emission; however the nucleus may remain in an excited state for a measurable period of time before dropping to the ground state at its own characteristic rate

Question 39

curie

Answer 39

a unit of radioactivity, corresponding to 3.7x 10^10 dps (disintegration per second) 2.22 x 10^12 dpm (disintegration per minute)