Compton Scattering Practice Problems

AP Physics

Name: Period:

1. A photon that strikes a free electron gets scattered off the free electron, instead of being completely absorbed. Why does it have to happen that way?

2. What type of light did Arthur H. Compton use in his scattering experiments? Why was that a good choice?

3. Under what conditions will you observe the maximum shift in wavelength for a photon that is scattered from a free electron?

4. In a Compton scattering event, why does the scattered photon always have a longer wavelength than the incident photon?

5. Calculate the maximum wavelength shift a photon that undergoes Compton scattering from a free electron?

6. An x-ray photon with a wavelength of 9.73 x 10-11 m scatters off a free electron at an angle of 30. a) What is the change in b) What is the wavelength of the c) What is the kinetic energy of the wavelength for the photon? scattered photon? electron as it recoils?

7. A monochromatic beam of x-rays of wavelength 2.80 x 10-10 m is scattered by a metal foil. a) What is the wavelength of the b) What is the wavelength of the c) What is the wavelength of the x-rays that are scattered at an x-rays that are scattered at an x-rays that are scattered at an angle of 45? angle of 90? angle of 135?

8. X-rays with a wavelength of 0.0045 nm are used in a scattering experiment. If the x-rays are scattered through an angle of 160, what is the wavelength of the scattered photon?

9. A photon with an energy of 10.0 keV is scattered by a free electron, which recoils with a kinetic energy of 0.200 keV. a) What is the wavelength of the scattered photon? b) At what angle is the photon scattered?