Topic 7 & 12

Question 1

Isotope

Answer 1

Element with the same number of protons (Z) but different number of neutrons (N)

Question 2

Nucelon

Answer 2

A proton or a nuetron

Question 3

Radioactive Decay

Answer 3

When an unstable nucleus emits a particle (alpha, beta, gamma). Radioactive decay is both random and spontaneous process, and it decreases exponentially with time

Question 4

Radioactive half-life

Answer 4

Time taken for the activity of a sample to reduce by 1/2

Question 5

Mass defect

Answer 5

Difference between the mass of the nucleus and the sum of the masses of its individual nucleons

Question 6

Binding energy

Answer 6

Energy released when a nuclide is assembled from its individual components

Question 7

Binding energy per nucleon

Answer 7

Energy release when a nuclide is assembled from its individual components

Question 8

Nuclear Fission

Answer 8

A heavy nucleus splits into two smaller nuclei of roughly equal mass

Question 9

Nuclear Fusion

Answer 9

When two light nuclei join to form a heavier nuclei

Question 10

Hadron

Answer 10

A particle affected by the strong and weak force

Question 11

Baryon

Answer 11

Part of the hadron family and contains three quarks

Question 12

Meson

Answer 12

Part of the hadron family and contains two quarks: (one quark and one anti-quark)

Question 13

Quark notation for proton

Answer 13

Udu

Question 14

Quark notation for neutron

Answer 14

udd

Question 15

Photon

Answer 15

Packet of discrete enegry

Question 16

Threshold Frequency

Answer 16

Minimum frequency of light needed to eject electrons from a metal surface

Question 17

Work function

Answer 17

Minimum energy needed to eject electrons from a metal surface

Question 18

Schrodinger Wavefunction

Answer 18

The square of the amplitude of the wave function gives the probability of finding an electron at a particular point

Question 19

Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle

Answer 19

Position-momentum or time-energy cannot be known precisely at the same time

Question 20

Decay constant

Answer 20

Probability of decay of a particular nuclei per unit time