Physics 9702 · AS & A Level
Atoms, nuclei and radiation
100 practice questions on Atoms, nuclei and radiation, with worked solutions and instant marking.
A sample of an isotope gives off $\beta^-$ particles. These emitted $\beta^-$ particles have a spread of energies. What else has to be emitted?
Feb/March 2016
A nucleus of magnesium changes into a nucleus of sodium by releasing a $\beta^+$ particle. The transformation is shown by the equation below. $^{23}_{12}\text{Mg} \rightarrow {}^{P}_{Q}\text{Na} + {}^{0}_{+1}\beta$ Which values are $P$ and $Q$?
Feb/March 2016
Thorium-234 ($^{234}_{90}\text{Th}$) undergoes $\beta^-$ emission to form a daughter product, which then undergoes another $\beta^-$ emission to produce a granddaughter product. Which letter in the diagram shows the granddaughter product?
Feb/March 2016
Which row gives the relative ionising power and the relative penetration power per unit length in air for $\alpha$-particles and $\gamma$-rays?
Feb/March 2017
A sodium-21 nucleus, $^{21}_{11}\text{Na}$, undergoes decay to produce a different nucleus made up of 10 protons and 11 neutrons. Which leptons are released from the sodium-21 nucleus in this decay?
Feb/March 2017
A neutron undergoes decay to produce a proton. Which particle does not take part in the decay process?
Feb/March 2017
A bismuth-212 nucleus $\left(^{212}_{83}\text{Bi}\right)$ undergoes decay by emitting an $\alpha$-particle together with $\gamma$-radiation.
Feb/March 2017
A nucleus of neptunium-236 contains $93$ protons and $143$ neutrons. It decays by releasing an $\alpha$-particle. The nucleus produced then releases a $\beta^{-}$ particle. Which diagram shows how the number $P$ of protons and the number $N$ of neutrons change in these nuclei?
Feb/March 2018
A sample of a radioactive isotope gives out a beam of $\beta^{-}$ radiation.
Feb/March 2018
A neutron $^1_0\text{n}$ strikes a $^{235}_{92}\text{U}$ nucleus and is taken in by it. The nucleus then fissions into nuclei of $^{141}_{56}\text{Ba}$ and $^{92}_{36}\text{Kr}$. How many neutrons are released when the $^{235}_{92}\text{U}$ nucleus splits?
Feb/March 2019
Which word equation shows $\beta^+$ decay?
Feb/March 2019
Two alpha-particles that have the same kinetic energy travel towards a gold nucleus and are then deflected. Which diagram could represent the routes of the two alpha-particles?
Feb/March 2020
The equation shows the decay of a nucleus $X$ into a nucleus $Y$. $^{A}_{Z}X \rightarrow {}^{A}_{Z-1}Y + p + q$. What particles are $p$ and $q$?
Feb/March 2020
State and explain whether a neutron is a fundamental particle.
Feb/March 2020
The diagram displays a section of the chart of nuclides, with neutron number on the vertical axis and proton number on the horizontal axis. An unstable nuclide $X$ undergoes decay by releasing an $\alpha$-particle. Which nuclide is produced when nuclide $X$ decays?
Feb/March 2021
The $\alpha$-particle scattering experiment results give evidence about atomic structure.
Feb/March 2021
When $\alpha$-particles are aimed at gold leaf: 1 nearly all $\alpha$-particles travel through with no deflection 2 a small number of $\alpha$-particles are turned through large angles. What explains these observations?
Feb/March 2022
Nucleus X is radioactive and transforms into nucleus Y by decay. X and Y are isotopes of the same element. Which set of particles could have been released during the decay process?
Feb/March 2022
A sodium-22 nucleus ($^{22}_{11}\text{Na}$) undergoes decay by releasing a $\beta^+$ particle. The decay produces a different nucleus.
Feb/March 2022
A nucleus of an element that is unstable decays by releasing either an $\alpha$-particle or a $\beta^-$-particle, forming a nucleus of another element. That nucleus is unstable too and releases an $\alpha$-particle or a $\beta^-$-particle. This sequence carries on until an isotope of the original element is formed. What is the smallest possible number of these particles emitted?
Feb/March 2024
Nucleus P undergoes $\alpha$-decay, producing nucleus Q.
Feb/March 2024
What change occurs in the quark composition of a nucleus during $\beta^+$ decay?
Feb/March 2025
A nucleus Q that is isolated and stationary decays to nucleus R plus an $\alpha$-particle. The $\alpha$-particle has a speed of $1.5 \times 10^7\,\text{m s}^{-1}$.
Feb/March 2025
Which descriptions correctly apply to a $\gamma$-ray and a $\beta$-particle?
May/June 2010
The chart displays several nuclides organised by their numbers of protons and neutrons. A nucleus of the nuclide $^{8}_{3}\text{Li}$ decays by emitting a $\beta$-particle. Which nuclide is formed as a result?
May/June 2010
Which quantity does not remain conserved in nuclear processes?
May/June 2010
The diagram below shows a decay chain that includes two $\alpha$-particles and one $\beta$-particle. $^{217}_{85}\text{At} \xrightarrow{\alpha} V \xrightarrow{\alpha} W \xrightarrow{\beta} X$ Which nuclide is X?
May/June 2010
The grid displays a collection of nuclides arranged according to the number of protons and the number of neutrons in each nucleus. A nucleus of the nuclide $^8_3\text{Li}$ decays by emitting a $\beta$-particle. What nuclide is produced?
May/June 2010
The decay chain below shows two $\alpha$-decays followed by one $\beta$-decay. $^{217}_{85}\text{At} \xrightarrow{\alpha} V \xrightarrow{\alpha} W \xrightarrow{\beta} X$ What nuclide is X?
May/June 2010
Which descriptions are correct for a $\gamma$-ray and a $\beta$-particle?
May/June 2010
What quantity is not conserved during nuclear processes?
May/June 2010
Which quantity is not conserved during nuclear processes?
May/June 2010
Which descriptions correctly describe a $\gamma$-ray and a $\beta$-particle?
May/June 2010
The decay chain below shows two $\alpha$-particles and one $\beta$-particle. $^{217}_{85}\text{At} \xrightarrow{\alpha} V \xrightarrow{\alpha} W \xrightarrow{\beta} X$ Which nuclide is X?
May/June 2010
The grid displays several nuclides organised by the number of protons and the number of neutrons in each one. A nucleus of the nuclide $^{8}_{3}\text{Li}$ undergoes decay by emitting a $\beta$-particle. What nuclide is produced?
May/June 2010
Uranium-238 ($^{238}_{92}\text{U}$) is one of uranium’s isotopes.
May/June 2010
Some nuclei undergo radioactive decay and this results in the release of $\alpha$-particles.
May/June 2010
A feature of $\alpha$-particles is that, at atmospheric pressure, they cause air to become highly ionised. During this ionisation process, a neutral atom changes into an ion pair. That ion pair consists of a positively charged particle and an electron.
May/June 2010
The earliest artificial radioactive substance was formed by firing alpha-particles at aluminium, $^{27}_{13}\text{Al}$. In doing so, an unstable isotope of phosphorus, $^{30}_{15}\text{P}$, was generated. What was the other product of this reaction?
May/June 2011
Uranium-238, $^{238}_{92}\text{U}$, undergoes $\alpha$-emission to form a daughter product, and that daughter product then undergoes $\beta$-emission to produce a grand-daughter product. What is the identity of the grand-daughter product?
May/June 2011
Which statement concerning nuclei is correct?
May/June 2011
The uranium nucleus $^{238}_{92}\text{U}$ undergoes $\alpha$-decay and forms nucleus X. Nucleus X then undergoes $\beta$-decay and forms nucleus Y. For nucleus Y, what are the proton number and nucleon number?
May/June 2011
Radon-220 is radioactive and undergoes decay to polonium-216 by emitting an $\alpha$-particle. The decay equation is shown below. $^{220}_{86}\text{Rn} \rightarrow ^{216}_{84}\text{Po} + ^{4}_{2}\text{He}$. How many neutrons are present in the radon and polonium nuclei?
May/June 2011
Which of the following statements about nuclei is correct?
May/June 2011
The earliest artificial radioactive substance was produced by striking aluminium, $^{27}_{13}\text{Al}$, with $\alpha$-particles. As a result, an unstable phosphorus isotope, $^{30}_{15}\text{P}$, was formed. What was the other product of this reaction?
May/June 2011
A Uranium-238 nucleus, $^{238}_{92}\text{U}$, undergoes $\alpha$-emission to form a daughter product, which then undergoes $\beta$-emission to produce a grand-daughter product. What is the grand-daughter product?
May/June 2011
A gold foil experiment, in which $\alpha$-particles were scattered, provided new understanding of atomic structure. Which conclusion can be drawn from the results of this experiment?
May/June 2012
Thorium-234 ($^{234}_{90}\text{Th}$) undergoes $\beta$-emission to form a daughter product, which then undergoes another $\beta$-emission to produce a granddaughter product. Which letter in the diagram shows the granddaughter product?
May/June 2012
In an experiment used to demonstrate Brownian motion, a clear container is filled with smoke particles suspended in air. What is observed when the contents of the container are brightly illuminated and examined with a microscope?
May/June 2012
The diagram illustrates how the atoms are arranged in a certain crystal. Every atom lies at a cube corner. The mass of one atom is $3.5 \times 10^{-25}\ \text{kg}$. The density of the crystal is $9.2 \times 10^{3}\ \text{kg m}^{-3}$. What is the minimum distance between the centres of two neighbouring atoms?
May/June 2012
Nuclear decay occurs spontaneously and is random. Which row gives the correct experimental evidence for these two properties?
May/June 2012
Radon $^{222}_{86}\text{Rn}$ starts a decay chain that leads to bismuth $^{214}_{83}\text{Bi}$ by alpha emission and beta emission. When one nucleus of radon decays, how many $\alpha$-particles and $\beta$-particles are emitted?
May/June 2012
Thorium-234 ($^{234}_{90}\text{Th}$) undergoes $\beta$-emission to form a daughter product, which then undergoes further $\beta$-emission to produce a granddaughter product. In the diagram, which letter labels the granddaughter product?
May/June 2012
An experiment in which $\alpha$-particles were deflected by a gold foil led to new understanding of the atom’s structure. Which conclusion can be drawn from the experiment’s results?
May/June 2012
The nuclear equation $^{210}_{84}\text{Po} \rightarrow {}^{206}_{82}\text{Pb} + X$ represents the spontaneous decay of polonium.
May/June 2012
A uranium-235 nucleus undergoes a nuclear reaction after it absorbs a neutron. This process can be written as the equation $^{235}_{92}\text{U} + ^{W}_{X}\text{n} \rightarrow ^{93}_{37}\text{Rb} + ^{141}_{Z}\text{Cs} + Y\,^{W}_{X}\text{n}$.
May/June 2012
A radioactive source gives off $\alpha$-radiation and $\gamma$-radiation. Explain how it may be demonstrated that the source does not give off $\beta$-radiation using
May/June 2012
A nickel nucleus $^{59}_{28}\text{Ni}$ may be altered by a process known as K-capture. In this process, the nucleus takes in an orbital electron. If no other process occurs, which nucleus is formed?
May/June 2013
At one time it was believed that an atom’s mass is distributed evenly throughout the atom’s volume. When $\alpha$-particles are aimed at a sheet of gold foil, the observations caused scientists to conclude instead that almost all the mass of the gold atom is concentrated at a single point within the atom. Which effect could occur only if almost all the mass of the gold atom is concentrated at a point?
May/June 2013
Which two nuclei are isotopes of each other?
May/June 2013
What is the approximate mass for an alpha particle?
May/June 2013
An actinium nucleus has a nucleon number of $227$ and a proton number of $89$. It decays to produce a radium nucleus, with a beta particle and an alpha particle emitted in the process. What are the nucleon number and the proton number of the radium nucleus?
May/June 2013
Scientists studying the count rate from a radioactive source noticed that the count rate varies. What do these variations indicate about the nature of radioactive decay?
May/June 2013
When a nucleus of neptunium decays, a $\beta$-particle and $\gamma$-radiation are emitted. What change, if any, does this decay cause to the proton number and to the nucleon number of the nucleus?
May/June 2013
A radioactive nucleus is produced by $\beta$-decay. It then undergoes $\alpha$-emission. Which graph of nucleon number $N$ against proton number $Z$ represents the $\beta$-decay and then the $\alpha$-emission?
May/June 2013
Describe the two principal outcomes of the $\alpha$-particle scattering experiment.
May/June 2013
Describe apparatus that shows Brownian motion. Include a diagram.
May/June 2013
A polonium nucleus $^{210}_{84}\text{Po}$ is radioactive and undergoes decay by emitting an $\alpha$-particle. The nuclear equation for this decay is $^{210}_{84}\text{Po} \rightarrow {}^{W}_{X}Q + {}^{Y}_{Z}\alpha$.
May/June 2013
The isotopes uranium-235 ($^{235}_{92}\text{U}$) and uranium-238 ($^{238}_{92}\text{U}$) are two forms of uranium. Describe in detail an atom of uranium-235.
May/June 2013
Alpha, beta and gamma radiations differ in the depth to which they can penetrate matter and also in their charges. Which row gives the best summary of the penetration and charge of each type of radiation?
May/June 2014
In 2002, an isotope of iron, $^{45}_{26}\text{Fe}$, was observed to undergo two-proton radioactive decay. What product could result?
May/June 2014
The ion $\text{U}^{++}$ represents a uranium atom that has been doubly ionised. This uranium atom has a nucleon number of $235$ and a proton number of $92$. Using a simple model of the atom, how many particles are present in this ionised atom?
May/June 2014
The grid displays several nuclides arranged by the number of protons and the number of neutrons in each one. A nucleus of the nuclide $^{8}_{3}\text{Li}$ decays by releasing a $\beta$-particle. What is the nuclide formed?
May/June 2014
A nucleus $X$ undergoes decay to become a nucleus $Y$ by first emitting an alpha particle and then two beta particles. Which statement concerning this nuclear decay is correct?
May/June 2014
A slow neutron strikes a uranium-235 nucleus. The nuclear reaction is shown by this equation: $^{235}_{92}\text{U} + ^{1}_{0}\text{n} \rightarrow ^{154}_{60}\text{Nd} + ^{80}_{32}\text{Ge} + x$ In this expression, $x$ stands for one or more particles. What is $x$?
May/June 2014
Scientists produced the first artificial radioactive substance by firing $\alpha$-particles at aluminium, $^{27}_{13}\text{Al}$. The result was an unstable isotope of phosphorus, $^{30}_{15}\text{P}$. What was produced as the by-product of this reaction?
May/June 2014
The graph illustrates how the speeds of the molecules in a gas are distributed at a given temperature. Which statement is correct?
May/June 2014
One thorium isotope has nucleon number $232$ and proton number $90$. It decays to produce a different thorium isotope with nucleon number $228$. Determine how many alpha particles and beta particles are emitted by the thorium nucleus during this decay.
May/June 2014
The four nuclei are shown below. $^{28}_{14}E\quad ^{25}_{15}G\quad ^{25}_{12}M\quad ^{24}_{13}Q$ Which of the following statements about these nuclei is correct?
May/June 2014
State the meaning of an $\alpha$-particle, a $\beta$-particle and $\gamma$-radiation.
May/June 2014
When $\alpha$-particles are aimed at gold leaf 1 nearly all $\alpha$-particles travel straight through with no deflection, 2 a small number of $\alpha$-particles are scattered through large angles. What explains these observations?
May/June 2015
The nuclide $^{222}_{86}\text{Rn}$ undergoes a chain of decays, step by step, until the nuclide $^{206}_{82}\text{Pb}$ is produced. In this decay chain, four of the nuclides that are produced emit $\alpha$-particles. All of the remaining nuclides emit $\beta$-particles. How many of the nuclides produced in the decay chain are $\beta$-particle emitters?
May/June 2015
An experiment in which $\alpha$-particles were deflected by a gold foil led to new understanding of atomic structure. Which conclusion can be deduced from the experimental results?
May/June 2015
A radioactive material contains many nuclei of the same kind that emit $\beta$-particles. After this emission, which property of the nuclei stays unchanged?
May/June 2015
A uranium-238 nucleus, $^{238}_{92}\text{U}$, decays in a nuclear process to produce uranium-234, $^{234}_{92}\text{U}$. Which decay sequence could lead to this outcome?
May/June 2015
Nucleus P undergoes decay in two steps to form nucleus Q. Which decay pathway would give nucleus Q the greatest number of neutrons?
May/June 2015
A neutral atom contains a nucleus shown by the symbol $^{133}_{55}\text{Cs}$. What are the numbers of protons, neutrons and electrons in this atom?
May/June 2015
The nuclear equation for a fission process is given below. $^{235}_{92}\text{U} + ^{1}_{0}\text{n} \rightarrow ^{93}_{X}\text{Rb} + ^{141}_{55}\text{Cs} + Y\,^{1}_{0}\text{n}$ Determine the values of $X$ and $Y$?
May/June 2015
A uranium-235 nucleus takes in a neutron and then breaks apart into two nuclei. One possible nuclear reaction is given by $^{235}_{92}\text{U} + ^{a}_{b}\text{n} \rightarrow ^{93}_{37}\text{Rb} + ^{c}_{d}\text{X} + 2\,^{a}_{b}\text{n} + \text{energy}$.
May/June 2015
The equation shows the spontaneous radioactive decay of a bismuth-212 nucleus. $^{212}_{83}\text{Bi} \rightarrow X + ^{208}_{81}\text{Tl} + 6.2\,\text{MeV}$
May/June 2015
Which word equation shows $\beta^+$ decay?
May/June 2016
Which statement about the alpha-particle scattering experiment gives evidence that the nucleus exists?
May/June 2016
The gold nucleus $^{{185}}_{{79}}\text{Au}$ is decaying by alpha emission. What are the nucleon number and proton number of the nucleus produced in this decay?
May/June 2016
Which equation shows $\beta^+$ decay?
May/June 2016
Within an electrolyte, electric current is carried by charged particles (ions) dissolved in the solution. Which value cannot be the charge on an ion in solution?
May/June 2016
A nitrogen-13 nucleus $^{13}_{7}\text{N}$ decays by beta emission. In the equations shown below, $\nu$ and $\bar{\nu}$ denote a neutrino and an antineutrino respectively, while $\gamma$ stands for a photon of gamma radiation. Which equation shows this decay?
May/June 2016
Radon $^{222}_{86}\text{Rn}$ begins a decay series that produces bismuth $^{214}_{83}\text{Bi}$ through $\alpha$ and $\beta^-$ emissions. During the decay of each radon nucleus, how many $\alpha$ particles and how many $\beta^-$ particles are emitted?
May/June 2016
The table gives the nucleon number and the proton number for different nuclei. The nuclei are labelled $L$ to $T$. Which row in the table below shows correctly three nuclei of the same element, and three nuclei with the same number of neutrons?
May/June 2017
A radioactive nucleus is created by $\beta^{-}$ decay. It then undergoes $\alpha$-emission. Which graph of nucleon number $N$ against proton number $Z$ represents the $\beta^{-}$ decay followed by the $\alpha$-emission?
May/June 2017
In a television programme used to demonstrate scientific models, a presenter repeatedly fires a gun at a bale of hay. Inside the hay, two small cannon balls are lodged some distance apart. The hay bale is about $2\,\text{m} \times 2\,\text{m} \times 2\,\text{m}$ in size, and the cannon balls are iron, nearly spherical, and roughly $5\,\text{cm}$ across. What is the presenter likely to be showing?
May/June 2017