7.1 7.

2 [49 marks]
1. [1 mark]
Which property of a nuclide does not change as a result of beta decay?
A. Nucleon number
B. Neutron number
C. Proton number
D. Charge
2. [1 mark]

The rest mass of the helium isotope ❑32 He is m.

Which expression gives the binding energy per nucleon for ❑32 He?

(2 m p+ m n+ m) c 2
A. 
3

(2 m p+ m n − m) c 2
B. 
3

C. (2 m p+ m n+ m) c 2

D. (2 m p+ mn − m) c 2

 
3. [1 mark]
A radioactive nuclide with atomic number Z undergoes a process of beta-plus (β+) decay.
What is the atomic number for the nuclide produced and what is another particle emitted
during the decay?
4. [1 mark]
The positions of stable nuclei are plotted by neutron number n and proton number p. The
graph indicates a dotted line for which n = p. Which graph shows the line of stable nuclides
and the shaded region where unstable nuclei emit beta minus (β -) particles?

5. [1 mark]
The graph shows the variation with time of the activity of a pure sample of a radioactive
nuclide.
What percentage of the nuclide remains after 200 s?
 
A.   3.1 %
B.   6.3 %
C.   13 %
D.   25 %
6. [1 mark]
The graph shows the variation of the number of neutrons N with the atomic number Z
for stable nuclei. The same scale is used in the N and Z axes.

Which information can be inferred from the graph?

I.   For stable nuclei with high Z, N is larger than Z.
II.  For stable nuclei with small Z, N = Z.
III. All stable nuclei have more neutrons than protons.
 
A.   I and II only
B.   I and III only
C.   II and III only
D.   I, II and III
7. [1 mark]

Copper (❑64 64
29 Cu) decays to nickel (❑28 ∋¿). What are the particles emitted and the particle
that mediates the interaction?
 

8. [1 mark]

The average binding energy per nucleon of the ❑158 O nucleus is 7.5 MeV. What is the total

energy required to separate the nucleons of one nucleus of ❑15

8 O?

A.     53 MeV
B.     60 MeV
C.     113 MeV
D.     173 MeV
9. [1 mark]
Two pure samples of radioactive nuclides X and Y have the same initial number of atoms.
The half-life of X is T 1 .
2

number of atoms of X 1
After a time equal to 4 half-lives of X the ratio  is  .
number of atoms of Y 8
What is the half-life of Y?

A.     0.25 T 1
2

B.     0.5 T 1
2

C.     3 T 1
2

D.     4 T 1
2

10. [1 mark]
A detector, placed close to a radioactive source, detects an activity of 260 Bq. The
average background activity at this location is 20 Bq. The radioactive nuclide has a half-life
of 9 hours.
What activity is detected after 36 hours?
A.     15 Bq
B.     16 Bq
C.     20 Bq
D.     35 Bq
11. [1 mark]
Element X decays through a series of alpha (α) and beta minus (β–) emissions. Which series
of emissions results in an isotope of X?
A.     1α and 2β–
B.     1α and 4β–
C.     2α and 2β–
D.     2α and 3β–
12. [1 mark]
A graph of the variation of average binding energy per nucleon with nucleon number has a
maximum. What is indicated by the region around the maximum?
A.     The position below which radioactive decay cannot occur
B.     The region in which fission is most likely to occur
C.     The position where the most stable nuclides are found
D.     The region in which fusion is most likely to occur
13. [1 mark]
Three of the fundamental forces between particles are
          I.     strong nuclear
          II.     weak nuclear
          III.     electromagnetic.
What forces are experienced by an electron?
A.     I and II only
B.     I and III only
C.     II and III only
D.     I, II and III
14. [1 mark]
A nucleus of phosphorus (P) decays to a nucleus of silicon (Si) with the emission of particle
X and particle Y.

❑30 30
15 P →❑14 Si+ X + Y

What are X and Y?

15. [1 mark]
In nuclear fission, a nucleus of element X absorbs a neutron (n) to give a nucleus of element
Y and a nucleus of element Z.
X + n → Y + Z + 2n
magnitude of the binding energy per nucleonof Y total binding energy of Y ∧Z
What is  and  ?
magnitude of the binding energy per nucleon of X total binding energy of X

16. [1 mark]
What is the energy equivalent to the mass of one proton?
A.  9.38 × (3 × 108)2 × 106 J
B.  9.38 × (3 × 108)2 × 1.6 × 10–19 J

9.38 ×108
C.   J
1.6× 10−19
D.  9.38 × 108 × 1.6 × 10–19 J
17. [1 mark]
Atomic spectra are caused when a certain particle makes transitions between energy
levels.
What is this particle?
A. Electron
B. Proton
C. Neutron
D. Alpha particle
18. [1 mark]
The half-life of a radioactive element is 5.0 days. A freshly-prepared sample contains 128 g
of this element. After how many days will there be 16 g of this element left behind in the
sample?
A. 5.0 days
B. 10 days
C. 15 days
D. 20 days
19. [1 mark]

The binding energy per nucleon of ❑11

4 B e is 6 MeV. What is the energy required to separate
the nucleons of this nucleus?
A.  24 MeV
B.  42 MeV
C.  66 MeV
D.  90 MeV
20. [1 mark]
14
When an alpha particle collides with a nucleus of nitrogen-14 ( ❑7 N ), a nucleus X can be
produced together with a proton. What is X?

A. ❑18
8 X

B. ❑17
8 X

C. ❑18
9 X

D. ❑17
9 X

21. [1 mark]
The mass defect for deuterium is 4×10–30 kg. What is the binding energy of deuterium? 
A. 4×10–7 eV 
B. 8×10–2 eV 
C. 2×106 eV 
D. 2×1012 eV
22. [1 mark]
Which of the following is the correct definition of the binding energy of a nucleus?
A. The product of the binding energy per nucleon and the nucleon number
B. The minimum work required to completely separate the nucleons from each other
C. The energy that keeps the nucleus together
D. The energy released during the emission of an alpha particle
23a. [2 marks]
32
A nucleus of phosphorus-32 ( ❑15 P ) decays by beta minus (β−) decay into a nucleus of
32
sulfur-32 ( ❑16 S ). The binding energy per nucleon of ❑32 32
15 P is 8.398 MeV and for ❑16 S it is
8.450 MeV.
Determine the energy released in this decay.
23b. [1 mark]
The graph shows the variation with time t of the activity A of a sample containing
32
phosphorus-32 ( ❑15 P ).
Determine the half-life of ❑32
15 P.

23c. [3 marks]
Quarks were hypothesized long before their existence was experimentally verified. Discuss
the reasons why physicists developed a theory that involved quarks.
24a. [4 marks]
Part 2 Nuclear physics
(i) Define binding energy of a nucleus.
 239
(ii) The mass of a nucleus of plutonium ( ❑94 Pu ) is 238.990396 u. Deduce that the binding
energy per nucleon for plutonium is 7.6 MeV.
24b. [3 marks]
The graph shows the variation with nucleon number A of the binding energy per nucleon.

239
Plutonium ( ❑94 Pu ) undergoes nuclear fission according to the reaction given below.

❑239 1 91 146 1
94 Pu+❑0 n→❑38 S r +❑56 B a+ x ❑0 n

(i) Calculate the number x of neutrons produced.

(ii) Use the graph to estimate the energy released in this reaction.
24c. [4 marks]
Stable nuclei with a mass number greater than about 20, contain more neutrons
than protons. By reference to the properties of the nuclear force and of the electrostatic
force, suggest an explanation for this observation.
25a. [1 mark]
Part 2 Unified atomic mass unit and a nuclear reaction
Define the term unified atomic mass unit.
25b. [1 mark]
The mass of a nucleus of rutherfordium-254 is 254.1001u. Calculate the mass in GeVc–2.
25c. [4 marks]
In 1919, Rutherford produced the first artificial nuclear transmutation by bombarding
nitrogen with α-particles. The reaction is represented by the following equation. 

α +❑14 17
7 N →❑8 O+ X

(i) Identify X.
(ii) The following data are available for the reaction.
        Rest mass of α = 3.7428 GeVc–2
        Rest mass of ❑14
7 N = 13.0942 GeVc  
–2

17
        Rest mass of ❑8 O+ X = 16.8383 GeVc–2

The initial kinetic energy of the α-particle is 7.68 MeV. Determine the sum of the kinetic
energies of the oxygen nucleus and X. (Assume that the nitrogen nucleus is stationary.)

25d. [2 marks]
The reaction in (c) produces oxygen (O-17). Other isotopes of oxygen include O-19 which is
radioactive with a half-life of 30 s.
(i)  State what is meant by the term isotopes.
(i)  Define the term radioactive half-life.
 
25e. [2 marks]
A nucleus of the isotope O-19 decays to a stable nucleus of fluorine. The half-life of O-19 is
30 s. At time t=0, a sample of O-19 contains a large number N0 nuclei of O-19.
On the grid below, draw a graph to show the variation with time t of the number N of O-19
nuclei remaining in the sample. You should consider a time of t=0 to t=120s.
 
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