Answers to End-of-chapter questions

177 Radioactivity
1 The plum-pudding model predicts there will be
no large angle scattering events; an α-particle is
more massive than an electron and will not be
deviated by an electron. The actual experiment
shows a few α-particles scattered through more
than 90°. These α-particles must have interacted
with an object more massive than an electron;
this object, containing most of the mass of the
atom, was called the nucleus.
2 The nucleus contains 38 protons and 52
neutrons.
3 When the nucleus ejects an α-particle it emits two
protons and two neutrons, so the nucleon number
decreases by 4 (A − 4) and the proton number
(atomic number) by 2 (Z − 2). The nucleus then
ejects two β-particles, formed by decay of two
neutrons to protons. The nucleon number (mass
number) remains at A − 4 but the proton number
now increases by 2, returning to Z.
4 131
53
I → 131
54
X +−10e
5 Exactly the same graph is obtained, with exactly
the same amount of randomness.
Increase in temperature has no effect on the
nucleons inside the nucleus.

AS and A Level Physics © Cambridge University Press Chapter 17: Answers to End-of-chapter
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