The Physics of Everyday Phenomena: A Conceptual Introduction to Physics

W. Thomas Griffith, Juliet Wain Brosing

Chapter 19

The Nucleus and Nuclear Energy - all with Video Answers

Educators

Chapter Questions

Problem 1

In $1919,$ Rutherford bombarded a sample of nitrogen gas with a beam of alpha particles.
a. In addition to alpha particles, what other particle emerged from the nitrogen gas in this experiment?
b. What conclusion did Rutherford draw from this experiment? Explain.

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Problem 2

When beryllium is bombarded with alpha particles, a very penetrating radiation is emitted from the beryllium sample. Does this radiation consist of X rays? Explain.

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Problem 3

Is it possible for two atoms of the same chemical element to have different masses? Explain.

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Problem 4

Is it possible for atoms of the same chemical element to have different chemical properties? Explain.

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Problem 5

Which number, the mass number or the atomic number, determines the chemical properties of an element? Explain.

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Problem 6

Why is the atomic weight of chlorine, as determined from chemical experiments, not a whole-number multiple of the atomic weight of hydrogen? Explain.

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Problem 7

In a nuclear reaction, can the total mass of the products of the reaction be less than the total mass of the reactants? Explain.

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Problem 8

In alpha decay, do we expect the atomic number of the daughter nucleus to be equal to, greater than, or less than the atomic number of the isotope undergoing decay? Explain.

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Problem 9

In beta decay, do we expect the atomic number of the daughter nucleus to be equal to, greater than, or less than the atomic number of the isotope undergoing decay? Explain.

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Problem 10

What is a neutrino and why did scientists believe in its existence long before it was ever detected? Explain.

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Problem 11

In gamma decay, do we expect the atomic number of the daughter nucleus to be equal to, greater than, or less than the atomic number of the decaying isotope? Explain.

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Problem 12

Do all radioactive substances decay at the same rate? Explain.

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Problem 13

In a time equal to two half-lives of a radioactive isotope, would you expect all of that isotope to have decayed? Explain.

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Problem 14

In chemical reactions, the individual elements present in the reactants are the same as in the products of the reaction. Is this also true in a nuclear reaction? Explain.

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Problem 15

Chemical reactions and nuclear reactions can both release energy. On the average, would you expect the energy released per unit of mass in a chemical reaction to be greater than, equal to, or less than what is released in a nuclear reaction? Explain.

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Problem 16

Why do we expect fission fragments to have higher neutron numbers than stable isotopes of the same element and, therefore, to be radioactive? Explain.

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Problem 17

Suppose that you light a match to a mixture of oxygen and hydrogen, which then reacts explosively to form water. Is this a chemical reaction or a nuclear reaction? Explain.

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Problem 18

The most common isotope of uranium is uranium- $238 .$ Is this the isotope that is most likely to undergo fission? Explain.

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Problem 19

What property of the fission reaction leads to the possibility of a chain reaction? Explain.

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Problem 20

What is the function of the moderator in a nuclear reactor? Explain why the moderator is needed to obtain a chain reaction using natural uranium.

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Problem 21

Do the control rods in a nuclear reactor absorb or emit neutrons? Explain.

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Problem 22

If you wanted to slow down the chain reaction in a nuclear reactor, would you remove or insert the control rods? Explain.

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Problem 23

Will a reactor that uses ordinary water as the moderator be able to operate using unenriched uranium as a fuel? Explain.

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Problem 24

If a reactor goes subcritical, will the chain reaction speed up? Explain.

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Problem 25

If plutonium and uranium are removed from the spent fuel of a nuclear reactor, will the remaining nuclear wastes need to be stored for thousands of years before they become nonradioactive? Explain.

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Problem 26

In Fermi's original experiments in which he bombarded uranium samples with neutrons, he was trying to produce new elements heavier than uranium. Is it possible to do so? Explain.

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Problem 27

What was the purpose of the nuclear reactors built at Hanford, Washington, during World War II? Explain.

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Problem 28

How does nuclear fusion differ from nuclear fission? Explain.

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Problem 29

Is nuclear fission the main process involved in the energy generated in the sun? Explain.

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Problem 30

Do we currently have commercial nuclear reactors that use nuclear fusion as their energy source? Explain.

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Problem 31

Which can produce larger yields of energy, a fission weapon or a fusion weapon? Explain.

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