Nuclide Notation
Write the full nuclide notation for an atom with 11 protons and a mass number of 23.
2311 Na
If a parent atom undergoes alpha decay, by how much does its mass number decrease?
4
If a radioactive sample has a half-life of 10 years, what percentage of the original material remains after 30 years?
12.5%, 3 half-lives
In a nuclear reaction, if the products weigh less than the starting reactants, what happened to that "missing" mass?
It was converted into energy
Name the process where a single neutron hits a nucleus, causing it to split and release more neutrons to hit other nuclei.
Fission/Chain Reaction
How many neutrons are found in a nucleus of Phosphorus-32?
17 neutrons
A nucleus of Cobalt-60 undergoes gamma decay. Write the nuclide notation for the resulting child atom.
6027 Co
A sample starts with an activity of 800 Bq. After 4 half-lives, what is its remaining activity?
50 Bq
Which constant in Einstein’s equation explains why a tiny amount of mass creates a massive amount of energy?
c2
The speed of light squared
Which process involves a large atom "splitting" into two smaller atoms?
Fission
Write the nuclide notation for an atom where the Atomic Number is 84 and the Mass Number is 210.
84210Po
Which specific type of decay results in a child atom that has the same mass as the parent but a higher atomic number?
Beta decay
Iodine-131 has a half-life of roughly 8 days. How many days will it take for a 40g sample to decay until only 5g remains?
24 days, 3 half-lives
A nuclear explosion releases 4.5 x 1014 J of energy. Using c2 = 9.0 x 1016 m2/s2, calculate the mass lost in kg.
0.005 kg
What is the primary difference between the child atoms produced in fission versus those produced in alpha decay?
Fission produces two MUCH smaller atoms. Alpha decay produces a child very similar in mass to the parent and one alpha particle.
Identify the number of protons, neutrons, and mass number for the isotope Astatine-212.
85 protons, 127 neutrons, Mass = 212
Identify the missing "child" atom in this equation:
22286Rn -------> _________ + 42 He
218 84 Po
A graph shows a sample decreasing from 100% to 25% over a period of 20 minutes. What is the half-life of this material?
10 minutes
When a nuclear bomb explodes, it releases a lot of energy. Would this involve the loss of "a little" mass or "a lot" of mass to get that energy?
A little mass, because c2 is so large, only a tiny mass is needed
What process is responsible for creating the electromagnetic radiation we receive from the Sun?
Fusion
If an atom has 82 protons and 130 neutrons, what is its element name and its mass number?
Lead-212
What particle is released in this reaction:
13153 I --------> 13154 Xe + ____________
Beta particle
A sample has a half-life of 5 years. Today, only 4 µg remains. How much was present in the sample 15 years ago?
32 µg, 3 half-lives backwards
Calculate the energy released (in Joules) if a reaction loses exactly 0.01 kg of mass.
9.0 x 1014 J
Which sequence of decays would result in a child atom with the same atomic number as the parent (an isotope of the original atom's element)?
One Alpha decay followed by two Beta decays