DP Physics Questionbank

Description

Nature of science:

Theoretical advances and inspiration: Progress in atomic, nuclear and particle physics often came from theoretical advances and strokes of inspiration.

Advances in instrumentation: New ways of detecting subatomic particles due to advances in electronic technology were also crucial.

Modern computing power: Finally, the analysis of the data gathered in modern particle detectors in particle accelerator experiments would be impossible without modern computing power. (1.8)

Understandings:

• Rutherford scattering and nuclear radius
• Nuclear energy levels
• The neutrino
• The law of radioactive decay and the decay constant

Applications and skills:

• Describing a scattering experiment including location of minimum intensity for the diffracted particles based on their de Broglie wavelength
• Explaining deviations from Rutherford scattering in high energy experiments
• Describing experimental evidence for nuclear energy levels
• Solving problems involving the radioactive decay law for arbitrary time intervals
• Explaining the methods for measuring short and long half-lives

Guidance:

• Students should be aware that nuclear densities are approximately the same for all nuclei and that the only macroscopic objects with the same density as nuclei are neutron stars
• The small angle approximation is usually not appropriate to use to determine the location of the minimum intensity

Data booklet reference:

Theory of knowledge:

• Much of the knowledge about subatomic particles is based on the models one uses to interpret the data from experiments. How can we be sure that we are discovering an “independent truth” not influenced by our models? Is there such a thing as a single truth?

Utilization:

• Knowledge of radioactivity, radioactive substances and the radioactive decay law are crucial in modern nuclear medicine (see Physics option sub-topic C.4)

Aims:

• Aim 2: detection of the neutrino demonstrates the continuing growing body of knowledge scientists are gathering in this area of study

Directly related questions

• 18M.2.HL.TZ2.9d.iii: Calculate the wavelength of the gamma ray photon in (d)(ii).
• 18M.2.HL.TZ2.9d.i: Explain what may be deduced about the energy of the electron in the β– decay.
• 18M.1.HL.TZ2.40: Two samples X and Y of different radioactive isotopes have the same initial activity. Sample X...
• 18M.1.HL.TZ2.39: An electron of initial energy E tunnels through a potential barrier. What is the energy of...
• 18M.2.HL.TZ1.6b.iii: Beryllium-10 is used to investigate ice samples from Antarctica. A sample of ice initially...
• 18M.1.HL.TZ1.40: Alpha particles with energy E are directed at nuclei with atomic number Z. Small deviations from...
• 18M.1.HL.TZ1.39: A particle of fixed energy is close to a potential barrier. Which changes to the width of the...
• 17N.2.HL.TZ0.3d.iii: Draw a line on the graph, to show the variation of nuclear radius with nucleon number.
• 17N.2.HL.TZ0.3d.ii: Plot the position of magnesium-24 on the graph.
• 17N.2.HL.TZ0.3b.ii: Outline why the particles must be accelerated to high energies in scattering experiments.
• 17N.2.HL.TZ0.3b.i: Outline how these experiments are carried out.
• 17M.2.HL.TZ2.5b.ii: Show that about 3 x 1015 alpha particles are emitted by the radium-226 in 6 days.
• 17M.2.HL.TZ2.5b.i: Deduce that the activity of the radium-226 is almost constant during the experiment.
• 17M.1.HL.TZ2.40: A radioactive element has decay constant \(\lambda \) (expressed in s–1). The number of nuclei of...
• 17M.1.HL.TZ2.37: When monochromatic light is incident on a metallic surface, electrons are emitted from the...
• 17M.1.HL.TZ1.40: Electron capture can be represented by the equation p + e– → X + Y. What are X and Y?
• 17M.1.HL.TZ1.37: The diameter of a silver-108 (\({}_{47}^{108}Ag\)) nucleus is approximately three times that of...
• 16M.2.HL.TZ0.11b: The nucleus of \({}_{79}^{197}{\rm{Au}}\) is replaced by a nucleus of the isotope...
• 16M.2.HL.TZ0.11a: An alpha particle with initial kinetic energy 32 MeV is directed head-on at a nucleus of gold-197...
• 16N.2.HL.TZ0.4d: C-14 decay is used to estimate the age of an old dead tree. The activity of C-14 in the dead tree...
• 16N.1.HL.TZ0.39: Which of the following, observed during a radioactive-decay experiment, provide evidence for the...
• 16M.1.HL.TZ0.40: N...
• 16M.1.HL.TZ0.39: A pure...
• 16M.1.HL.TZ0.37: Deviations from...
• 15M.1.HL.TZ1.33: A particular radioactive substance decays and emits both β\(^ + \) particles and neutrinos. Which...
• 15M.1.HL.TZ2.32: The following observations are made during nuclear decays. I. Discrete energy of alpha...
• 15M.2.HL.TZ2.2c: U-235 \(\left( {{}_{92}^{235}{\rm{U}}} \right)\) can undergo alpha decay to form an isotope of...
• 15M.3.SL.TZ1.7a: Outline why the existence of neutrinos was hypothesized to account for the energy spectrum of...
• 15M.3.SL.TZ1.7b: The decay constant for magnesium-23 is 0.061 s−1. Calculate the time taken for the number of...
• 15M.3.SL.TZ2.7a: Outline how the half-life of X can be determined experimentally.
• 15M.3.SL.TZ2.7b: A pure sample of X has a mass of 1.8 kg. The half-life of X is 9000 years. Determine the mass of...
• 14M.2.SL.TZ1.5d: Potassium-38 decays with a half-life of eight minutes. (i) Define the term radioactive...
• 15N.2.HL.TZ0.6c.iii: Radium-226 has a half-life of 1600 years. Determine the time, in years, it takes for the activity...
• 14M.3.SL.TZ1.5c: Particle X has an initial kinetic energy of 6.2MeV after the decay in (b). In a scattering...
• 14M.3.SL.TZ1.5a: Define decay constant.
• 14M.3.SL.TZ1.5b: A sample of 1.6 mol of the radioactive nuclide...
• 15N.3.SL.TZ0.7c.i: State what is meant by half-life.
• 14N.1.HL.TZ0.27: Three types of radiation emitted from radioactive materials are given below. I. AlphaII....
• 14N.1.HL.TZ0.34: A radioactive nuclide decays to a stable daughter nuclide. Initially the sample consists entirely...
• 14N.3.SL.TZ0.7b.i: Outline a method for measuring the half-life of an isotope, such as the half-life of carbon-11.
• 14N.3.SL.TZ0.7b.ii: State the law of radioactive decay.
• 14N.3.SL.TZ0.7b.iii: Derive the relationship between the half-life \({T_{\frac{1}{2}}}\) and the decay constant...
• 14N.3.SL.TZ0.7b.iv: Calculate the number of nuclei of carbon-11 that will produce an activity of...
• 14M.3.SL.TZ2.6b: Show that the decay constant \(\lambda \) is related to the half-life \({T_{\frac{1}{2}}}\) by...
• 14M.3.SL.TZ2.6a: Define the decay constant of a radioactive isotope.
• 14M.3.SL.TZ2.6c: Strontium-90 is a radioactive isotope with a half-life of 28 years. Calculate the time taken for...
• 11N.1.SL.TZO.23: In Geiger and Marsden’s experiments a thin gold foil was bombarded with alpha particles. It was...
• 12N.1.HL.TZ0.36: Evidence for nuclear energy levels comes from discrete energies of I. alpha particlesII. beta...
• 12N.1.HL.TZ0.37: Which particles are emitted in β+ decay? A. Positron and neutrinoB. Positron and antineutrinoC....
• 13N.1.HL.TZ0.33: The decay constant is the probability of the A. number of radioactive decays per unit time.B....
• 13M.1.HL.TZ1.32: A radioactive sample of initial activity 12.0Bq has a half-life of 3.0 days. Which of the...
• 12M.1.HL.TZ2.31: The decay constant of a radioactive isotope is 10–3s–1. Which of the following is the probability...
• 13M.3.SL.TZ1.6c: Sodium-22 has a decay constant of 0.27 yr–1. (i) Calculate, in years, the half-life of...
• 11M.1.HL.TZ2.31: Which of the following provides...
• 11M.1.HL.TZ2.32: ...
• 13M.1.HL.TZ2.28: The decay constant of a radioactive isotope with half-life T is defined as A....
• 12M.3.SL.TZ1.4a: Define decay constant.
• 12M.3.SL.TZ1.4b: Plutonium-238 is to be used as a power source in a space probe. (i) Determine the initial...
• 11M.3.SL.TZ2.5a: (i) Define decay constant. (ii) A sample of nitrogen-13 has an initial activity of 800 Bq. The...
• 11M.3.SL.TZ2.5c: Nitrogen-13 undergoes β+ decay. Outline the experimental evidence that suggests another particle,...
• 11M.3.SL.TZ2.5b: (i) Calculate the half-life of nitrogen-13. (ii) Outline how the half-life of a sample of...
• 11N.2.HL.TZ0.3b: Tritium is a radioactive nuclide with a half-life of 4500 days. It decays to an isotope of...
• 12N.3.SL.TZ0.6b: The half-life of potassium-40 is 1.3×109yr. In a particular rock sample it is found that 85 % of...
• 12N.2.SL.TZ0.3b: Determine the fraction of caesium-137 that will have decayed after 120 years.
• 12M.3.SL.TZ2.6b: The isotope potassium-40 occurs naturally in many rock formations. In a particular sample of rock...
• 12N.3.SL.TZ0.7: This question is about neutrinos. The spectrum of electron energies emitted in a typical β-decay...
• 12N.2.HL.TZ0.8c: (i) One possible waste product of a nuclear reactor is the nuclide caesium-137...
• 12M.3.SL.TZ2.6a: The isotope bismuth-212 undergoes α-decay to an isotope of thallium. In this decay a gamma-ray...
• 12N.3.SL.TZ0.6a: A nuclide of the isotope potassium-40 \(\left( {{}_{19}^{40}{\rm{K}}} \right)\) decays into a...
• 13N.2.HL.TZ0.10f: The alpha particles and gamma rays produced in radioactive decay have discrete energy spectra....
• 12M.3.HL.TZ2.23c: In a deep inelastic scattering experiment, protons of momentum 2.70 ×10–18 N s are scattered by...
• 13N.3.SL.TZ0.5b: Overall about 10% of a sample of K-40 will decay to argon. In a particular rock sample it is...
• 11M.1.HL.TZ1.33: The half-life of a radioactive isotope is 10 days. What is the percentage of the sample remaining...
• 12M.3.HL.TZ2.23d: Outline how deep inelastic scattering experiments led to the conclusion that gluons exist.
• 11M.1.HL.TZ1.32: Different nuclides spontaneously undergo radioactive decay, emitting either α, β or γ radiation....
• 11M.3.SL.TZ1.6a: State the reaction for the decay of the I-124 nuclide.
• 11M.3.SL.TZ1.6b: The graph below shows how the activity of a sample of iodine-124 changes with time. (i) State...
• 09M.1.HL.TZ1.32: The radii of nuclei can be estimated from experiments involving A.     the scattering of charged...
• 09M.1.HL.TZ1.27: A beam of electrons is accelerated from rest through a potential difference \(V\). The de Broglie...
• 10N.1.HL.TZ0.30: The radii of nuclei may be determined by A.     scattering charged particles off the...
• 10N.2.HL.TZ0.B1Part2.c: Electrons with the same kinetic energy as those in (b) are incident on a circular aperture of...
• 10N.2.HL.TZ0.B1Part2.b: A beam of electrons is accelerated from rest through a potential difference of 85 V. Show that...
• 10N.3.HL.TZ0.J3b: Use the conservation of lepton number and charge to deduce the nature of the particle x in the...
• 10N.3.SL.TZ0.B3b: (i)     Calculate the decay constant of Au-189. (ii)     Determine the activity of the sample...
• 10N.3.HL.TZ0.J3c: State what is meant by deep inelastic scattering.