Chapter 12

The Nucleus of the Atom:

How do scientists determine the age of the oldest human fossils?
1. The amount of energy that is estimated to be contained in the nucleus of a grain of sand would a. boil a liter of water in a microwave oven (5 minutes). b. provide a year's energy for the United States. c. equal six dump-truck loads of coal. d. be the same as one days hydroelectric energy output of Niagara Falls. e. equal the gasoline energy needed for a cross-country trip. Ans: b Link To: Empty Space, Explosive Energy Difficulty Level: Easy

2. Which of the following is true about radioactive decay? a. Once a nucleus begins to decay it is destroyed. b. A helium proton was the first particle identified as a product of radioactive decay. c. Gamma decay depends on chemical reactions. d. Alpha decay results in one less neutron and one more proton. e. After beta decay, the number of protons in a nucleus is unchanged. Ans: b Link To: Radioactivity Difficulty Level: Easy

3. Electrons and protons differ in their a. mass and charge. b. charge only. c. chemical identity. d. shape. e. energy. Ans: a Link To: The Organization of the Nucleus Difficulty Level: Easy

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Chapter 12 4. How do two isotopes of the same element differ? a. Their nuclei have different number of protons. b. Their electrons have different orbits. c. They have different electrical charges. d. Their neutrons differ in number. e. They have a different atomic number. Ans: d Link To: The Organization of the Nucleus Difficulty Level: Easy

5. The difference between nuclear fusion and nuclear fission is that a. Energy is released from fusion, but not from fission. b. Energy is released from fission, but not from fusion. c. Fusion splits apart a nucleus, fission combines two nuclei into one. d. Fusion combines two nuclei into one, fission splits apart a nucleus. e. Only fission is involved in hydrogen bomb explosions; both fusion and fission are required for atomic bomb explosions. Ans: d Link To: Energy from the Nucleus Difficulty Level: Easy

6. A particular isotope has a half-life of 10 minutes. If we start with 2,000 atoms now, in a half hour we will have how many atoms left? a. 2,000 atoms b. 1,000 atoms c. 500 atoms d. 250 atoms e. 125 atoms Ans: d Link To: The Organization of the Nucleus Difficulty Level: Easy

7. How many protons, neutrons, and electrons are contained in uranium-238? a. 238 protons, 92 neutrons, 238 electrons b. 119 protons, 119 neutrons, 232 electrons c. 92 protons, 146 neutrons, 92 electrons d. 238 protons, 238 neutrons, 119 electrons

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Chapter 12 e. more data needed Ans: c Link To: The Organization of the Nucleus Difficulty Level: Easy

8. Which force holds the nucleus together? a. gravity b. strong force c. weak force d. electromagnetic force e. centripetal force Ans: b Link To: The Organization of the Nucleus Difficulty Level: Easy

9. A scientist who uses carbon-14 dating is actually measuring the a. age of the Earth. b. age of the igneous rocks. c. time of death of a living thing. d. time that an artifact was made. e. number of carbon ions in a material. Ans: c Link To: The Organization of the Nucleus Difficulty Level: Easy

10. A biography of Marie Curie would include the fact that she a. won the Nobel Prize in physics and chemistry. b. died of natural causes. c. pioneered X-ray diagnostics for soldiers in WWII. d. was accepted by other scientists of her era. e. discovered DNA. Ans: a Link To: Radioactivity Difficulty Level: Easy

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Chapter 12 11. Most of the energy in a nuclear power plant is generated by conversion of a. mass into heat energy. b. two hydrogen atoms into helium. c. heat energy into mechanical energy. d. magnetic fields into electricity. e. chemical potential energy into heat. Ans: a Link To: Radioactivity Difficulty Level: Easy

12. A nucleus of the imaginary atom Woofnium (73 protons, 97 neutrons), decays by beta emission with a half-life of 26,000 years. After one half-life, the daughter nucleus will be a. Wafnium (72 protons, 95 neutrons). b. Wefnium (71 protons, 97 neutrons). c. Woofnium (73 protons, 97 neutrons) in a lower energy state. d. Wifnium (74 protons, 96 neutrons). e. The daughter nucleus cannot be predicted from the information given. Ans: d Link To: Radioactivity Difficulty Level: Easy

13. One characteristic of radon-222 is that a. it is fluorescent. b. the odor it produces is distinctive. c. it is tightly bound to its host rock. d. the best protection against it is to tightly seal your home. e. it is inert. Ans: e Link To: Radioactivity Difficulty Level: Easy

14. Safety features in nuclear power plants include a. a glass-lined regulator for the fuel rods. b. locating nuclear power plants underground. c. recycling the radioactive waste as medical supplies. d. the protocol to insure a meltdown in case of human error. e. a self-contained system for all cooling water coming in contact with the radioactive material.

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Ans: e Link To: Energy from the Nucleus Difficulty Level: Easy

15. The Yucca Mountain project for nuclear waste disposal a. was stopped by environmentalists. b. is similar to a project tested in Arizona. c. was favored by most of the citizens in Nevada. d. is a plan to bury nuclear wastes in underground tunnels. e. has been determined to be a failure. Ans: d Link To: Energy from the Nucleus Difficulty Level: Easy

16. Nuclear quantum leaps a. result in the emission of a photon. b. are coincident with the absorption of a photon. c. is a generic phrase for electromagnetic radiation. d. occur when a larger nucleus is formed from two smaller ones. e. shift particles in a nucleus to different energy levels. Ans: e Link To: Energy from the Nucleus Difficulty Level: Easy

17. Elements heavier than uranium have been produced by scientists who a. changed lead into gold. b. used nuclear fission. c. originally worked with cold fusion. d. bombard a heavy element like lead with krypton ions. e. work on the cutting edge of biological research. Ans: d Link To: Energy from the Nucleus Difficulty Level: Easy 18. Which of these is NOT classified as high-level radioactive material? a. medical wastes

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Chapter 12 b. spent fuel rods greater than 50 years old c. waste products from production of nuclear weapons d. concrete and steel in nuclear reactor cores e. All of the above are high-level radioactive material. Ans: a Link To: Radioactivity Difficulty Level: Easy

19. Mass is a form of energy. Ans: True Link To: Empty Space, Explosive Energy Difficulty Level: Easy

20. The energies available in the nucleus are much greater than the energies available among electrons. Ans: True Link To: Empty Space, Explosive Energy Difficulty Level: Easy

21. Gamma radiation is the most energetic of all types of nuclear radiation. Ans: True Link To: Radioactivity Difficulty Level: Easy

22. Reactions that occur in the nucleus of an atom are independent from chemistry controlled by the electrons Ans: True Link To: Empty Space, Explosive Energy Difficulty Level: Easy 23. The mass of the nucleus nearly equals the mass of the protons in the nucleus.

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Chapter 12 Ans: False Link To: The Organization of the Nucleus Difficulty Level: Easy

24. The name of an element depends on the number of protons in the nucleus of the atom. Ans: True Link To: The Organization of the Nucleus Difficulty Level: Easy

25. The total weight of the nucleus is less than the sum of the masses of the protons and neutrons. Ans: True Link To: Radioactivity Difficulty Level: Easy

26. Alpha, beta, and gamma radioactive decay all change the nucleus of the atom. Ans: True Link To: Radioactivity Difficulty Level: Easy

27. Ernest Rutherford received the Nobel Prize for his discovery of the nucleus of the atom. Ans: False Link To: Radioactivity Difficulty Level: Easy

28. The nature of radioactivity was discovered by Antoine Becquerel. Ans: True Link To: Radioactivity Difficulty Level: Easy

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29. The chemical and nuclear properties of atoms are largely independent of each other. Ans: True Link To: Empty Space, Explosive Energy Difficulty Level: Easy

30. Exposure to small amounts of radioactivity can have health benefits. Ans: True Link To: Radioactivity Difficulty Level: Easy

31. The likelihood of a nuclear explosion is one of the primary fears about nuclear reactors. Ans: False Link To: Energy from the Nucleus Difficulty Level: Easy

32. Carbon-14 dating is best used for organic material less than 50,000 years old. Ans: True Link To: Radioactivity Difficulty Level: Easy

33. What are nuclear tracers? Ans: Nuclear tracers are radioactive materials used in medicine, earth science, and engineering to follow the exact progression of a chemical substance through a system. Link To: Radioactivity Difficulty Level: Easy

34. Nuclear physics has led to many practical applications in science, technology, and medicine. Name three such applications and indicate whether or not the isotopes employed are radioactive.

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Chapter 12 Ans: Answers can include (1) radioactive carbon-14, used to date organic materials; (2) radioactive uranium and potassium, used to date rocks and minerals; and (3) radioactive iodine tracers, used to locate tumors in the thyroid gland. Link To: Radioactivity Difficulty Level: Easy

35. Matter is converted to energy in all except for which of the following? a. a hydrogen bomb explosion b. an atom bomb explosion c. a nuclear fusion reactor d. a nuclear fission reactor e. All of the above convert some matter into energy. Ans: e Link To: Radioactivity Difficulty Level: Medium

36. If you plotted the number of neutrons against the number of protons of all atoms listed in the periodic table of the elements, what would you discover? a. All chemical elements have multiple isotopes. b. Approximately 2,000 isotopes have been identified. c. The number of protons nearly equals the number of neutrons for the lighter elements. d. Heavier elements tend to have more neutrons than protons. e. all of the above Ans: e Link To: The Organization of the Nucleus Difficulty Level: Medium

37. When we say that radioactivity is nature's "philosopher's stone, we mean that a. radioactivity was discovered by Plato. b. the number of neutrons in a radioactive nucleus can change. c. radioactivity can change the number of protons in a given nucleus. d. electron spin varies in a radioactive atom. e. any atom that undergoes radioactive decay eventually becomes an atom of lead. Ans: c Link To: Radioactivity Difficulty Level: Medium

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38. Which of the following statements is a characteristic of environmental radioactivity? a. Much of the Earths interior heat comes from alpha decay. b. There was no environmental radioactivity before the discovery of nuclear energy by humans. c. All elements have both radioactive and stable isotopes. d. Radon atoms will sink in water. e. All of these statements are accurate. Ans: a Link To: Radioactivity Difficulty Level: Medium

39. An electron is to a beta particle as helium is to a(n) a. alpha particle. b. beta particle. c. gamma particle. d. isotope. e. neutron. Ans: a Link To: Radioactivity Difficulty Level: Medium

40. If an atom emits two protons and two neutrons, the atom has a. created a daughter nucleus from the parent nucleus. b. emitted an alpha particle. c. changed the mass and chemical identity of the atom. d. produced a small amount of helium. e. all of the above Ans: e Link To: The Organization of the Nucleus Difficulty Level: Medium

41. Long-term effects of radioactive exposure will a. damage chromosomes. b. interrupt cell repair mechanisms. c. cause birth defects. d. sometimes cause leukemia.

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Chapter 12 e. all of the above Ans: c Link To: Radioactivity Difficulty Level: Medium

42. All elements exist as multiple isotopes. Ans: True Link To: The Organization of the Nucleus Difficulty Level: Medium

43. How do ions differ from isotopes? Ans: Isotopes are electrically neutral, although the number of neutrons in the nucleus is greater than the number of protons in the nucleus. An ion is electrically charged, with either more or fewer electrons than protons. Link To: Energy from the Nucleus Difficulty Level: Medium

44. How do alpha, beta and gamma radiation each affect a material? Ans: Alpha and beta radiation create a new element by changing the numbers of protons and neutrons. Gamma radiation only changes the energy of the nucleus without altering the number of protons or neutrons. Link To: Radioactivity Difficulty Level: Medium

45. What is ionization and why is it damaging to health? Ans: Radioactive materials can be damaging to health because the alpha, beta or gamma rays possess enough energy to strip one or more electrons from the atoms of a cell. Once an atom is ionized it cannot bond normally, and any structures depending upon that atom will be damaged. Link To: Radioactivity Difficulty Level: Medium

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46. How do isotopes of an element compare to one another? Ans: Isotopes of an element differ in the number of neutrons in the nucleus. All the isotopes of an element have the same number of protons, the same chemical properties, but a different mass. Link To: Radioactivity Difficulty Level: Medium

47. Compare the working of the atomic bomb to that of the hydrogen bomb. Ans: H bomb needs an atomic bomb to set it off. One is fission, one if fusion (H). Link To: Energy from the Nucleus Difficulty Level: Medium

48. In what manner is fusion a cleaner type of nuclear reaction than fission? Ans: Fission has many left over particles that are not consumed in the reaction. Link To: Energy from the Nucleus Difficulty Level: Medium

49. What does it mean when we say you cant do chemistry in your underwear? Ans: Chemical reactions take place among the outer shells of atoms. Nuclear chemistry releases large amounts of energy. Link To: Empty Space, Explosive Energy Difficulty Level: Medium

50. Why is a nuclear explosion much more powerful than an explosion of dynamite, for the same mass of explosive material? Ans: Nuclear explosions release the energy stored in the mass of the atoms nucleus while dynamite releases the electrical potential energy of chemical reactions, determined by the atoms electrons. The energy contained in the nucleus is much greater than that of the energy of the electrons. Link To: Energy from the Nucleus Difficulty Level: Hard

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51. Why were the medieval alchemists unsuccessful in finding a philosophers stone? Ans: The medieval alchemists attempted to change lead into gold through chemical reactions, manipulating the electrons. To turn one element into another it is necessary to manipulate the nucleus, not the electrons. Link To: Radioactivity Difficulty Level: Hard

52. How can a homeowner remedy high radon levels in a home? Ans: Radon can be dispersed with the installation of an improved ventilation system. A shortterm remedy would be to keep windows open. Link To: Radioactivity Difficulty Level: Hard

53. What was the significance of Wolfgang Pauli's discovery of the neutrino? Ans: In laboratory experiments in the 1930s, beta decay of the neutron appeared to violate the law of conservation of energy. Pauli deduced that the mass of the original neutron was equal to the proton, the electron, and one more particle, the neutrino, which was included in calculations but not actually detected until 1956. Link To: Radioactivity Difficulty Level: Hard

54. What arguments are used against building national nuclear disposal facilities? Ans: distances. Rock depositories are not guaranteed to be stable for hundreds of thousands of years. Nuclear waste deposit sites can be vulnerable to terrorist attacks. Materials have not been developed to contain waste products with half-lives in billions of years. Link To: Energy from the Nucleus Difficulty Level: Hard 55. Describe a world in which the strong force acted over the same distance as the force of gravity. Ans: Everything would crunch together sooner than latergravity is universal. Universe would never have expanded to begin with. Link To: The Organization of the Nucleus Difficulty Level: Hard

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56. How did Ernest Rutherford use the scientific method to determine the source of helium in his experiment with radioactive materials? How do modern scientists explain Rutherfords results using the current knowledge base? Ans: Observation then induction, then prediction. He didnt just appear, result in throwing out alpha radiation. Link To: Radioactivity Difficulty Level: Hard

57. Compare the professional life Marie Curie lived at the turn of the twentieth century with a life she would have had in current times. How did her status as a woman impact her work? Ans: She was the first woman professor ever elected to the Sorbonne, but the French didnt let her into the academywould have had to today. Link To: Radioactivity Difficulty Level: Hard

58. Describe the process of building and operating a nuclear power plant. What safety features in United States power plants were missing from those in Chernobyl? Ans: Source material, shielded and contained, activate and shut down. Think about containment and regulating the rate of reaction. No thoughts of containment if an escape occurred. Link To: Energy from the Nucleus Difficulty Level: Hard

59. By what process are scientists making superheavy elements? What is the practical application for this basic research? Ans: Walk through bombarding of nuclei. Decode the structure of nature to be able to change basic structure to create other things. Link To: Energy from the Nucleus Difficulty Level: Hard

60. Which test would you choose for determining the age of an organic artifact found among the Roman ruins? Why?

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Ans: Carbon-14 if its organic. Half life is appropriate for the age. Link To: Radioactivity Difficulty Level: Hard

61. How is Carbon-14 dating commonly used by archeologists by rarely by geologists? Ans: Archeologists are interested in human artifact; the range of Carbon-14 is 50,000 years. Geologists are interested in materials that may span billions of years. Link To: Radioactivity Difficulty Level: Hard

62. Why would you expect there to be a radioactive decay chain of many intermediate products as opposed to one single jump t the ultimate daughter product? Ans: For a single jump to be true, the emitted particle would consist of 10s of protons and neutrons and would require more ejection energy than available; further, there are only three types of radiation the largest of which only ejects two protons and two neutrons. Link To: Radioactivity Difficulty Level: Hard

63. Indoor radon has been identified as a health hazard. What other isotopes could be potentially hazardous? Ans: Any inert gas with similar properties to radon could be hazardous. Link To: Radioactivity Difficulty Level: Hard

64. Why are atomic nuclei greater than 92 rarely observed in nature? Ans: The structure of 92 protons appears to be the last stable geometry in nature. After 92 they become increasingly unstable. Link To: The Organization of the Nucleus Difficulty Level: Hard

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Chapter 12 65. Why are scientists skeptical of the successful proclamation of cold fusion experiments? Ans: Answers will vary; primarily because none of the experiments have been replicated. Link To: Energy from the Nucleus Difficulty Level: Hard

66. Although nuclear energy is clean on the front end, its waste products are dirty and dangerous. Why is the option of putting them on a rocket and shooting them into the Sun not a viable option? Ans: Answers will vary, but generally it is cost prohibitive; about $50,000 per pound to launch an object into space. Link To: Radioactivity Difficulty Level: Hard

67. How would it affect our world if all chemistry took place at the nuclear level? Ans: Large amounts of energy would be needed for breaking/combining nuclear materials. Actual bonding requires far less energy and can happen in the natural environment. Actual nuclear chemistry only occurs in stars. Link To: Empty Space, Explosive Energy Difficulty Level: Hard

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