Atomic and Nuclear Physics - 5 Steps to a 5 500 AP Physics Questions to Know by Test Day

5 Steps to a 5 500 AP Physics Questions to Know by Test Day (2012)

Chapter 17. Atomic and Nuclear Physics

476. The isotope98 californium251 has a critical mass of 5 kg and a density of 15.1 g/cm3. What is the diameter of a sphere of californium at critical mass?

(A) 0.43 cm

(B) 4.3 cm

(C) 8.5 cm

(D) 0.85 m

(E) 0.85 mm

477. As of June 2011, how many radioactive elements are naturally occurring? How many are manmade?

(A) 12 and 25

(B) 12 and 37

(C) 28 and 12

(D) 28 and 37

(E) 1 and 36

478. What are the nuclear decay processes?

(A) Alpha, beta, and delta

(B) Alpha, beta, and gamma

(C) Delta, omega, and gamma

(D) Phi, theta, and kappa

(E) Alpha, beta, and chi

479. What particles are emitted during the nuclear decay processes?

(A) A helium atom, an electron, and a photon

(B) A helium nucleus, an electron, and a photon

(C) A quark, an electron, and a photon

(D) A quark, a positron, and a photon

(E) A helium nucleus, an antielectron, and an X-ray

480. If 5 kg of californium were allowed to fission completely, how much energy would be released?

(A) 1,498,962,291 Nm

(B) 1.4989 × 10-8 J

(C) 1,498,962,290 J

(D) 15 × 107 Nm

(E) 15 × 108 J

481. How many electrons, protons, and neutrons are in an atom of 92uranium235?

(A) 235, 235, 92

(B) 92, 92, 92

(C) 92, 29, 146

(D) 92, 92, 143

(E) 92, 92, 141

482. What governs the energy contained in a photon?

(A) Planck’s constant

(B) The speed of light

(C) Its frequency

(D) Its wavelength

(E) All of the above

483. Thorium-234 has a half-life of 24 days and decays through beta emission to protactinium-234. If you were given 5 kg of thorium, how long would it take for it to decay to 2.5 kg?

(A) 72 days

(B) 48 days

(C) 24 days

(D) 12 days

(E) 6 days

484. The element 92uranium238 decays to a stable isotope of 82lead206. How many alpha particles must be emitted during the decay process?

(A) 8

(B) 10

(C) 32

(D) 40

(E) 16

485. A helium neon laser emits a red wavelength of 614 nm. How much energy is contained in each photon released?

(A) 2 eV

(B) 2.02 eV

(C) 2.0195 4 eV

(D) 2.01 eV

(E) 2.0 eV

486. Why can a slow neutron trigger nuclear fission in uranium235 but a slow proton cannot?

(A) Neither can trigger fission.

(B) Both can trigger fission.

(C) The slow proton will only capture an electron.

(D) The slow neutron has no charge, and it can hit the nucleus to cause fission.

(E) Fission is not caused by slow neutrons.

487. Why aren’t all the atomic mass units (amu) listed on the periodic table integers?

(A) Some are

(B) Mass of electrons account for the fractional amus

(C) They all should be

(D) Because the amu is the average of all of an element’s isotopes

(E) Because some elements have decayed since the start of the universe

488. When an electron and a position collide, what is emitted?

(A) Energy

(B) An alpha particle

(C) A photon

(D) An electron

(E) Two photons

489. Rutherford bombarded 7nitrogen14 with alpha particles from natural sources to produce oxygen and hydrogen. What were the resulting atomic numbers and atomic mass units?

(A) 8Oxygen15 and 1Hydrogen3

(B) 8Oxygen17 and 1Hydrogen1

(C) 8Oxygen16 and 1Hydrogen2

(D) 8Oxygen16 and 1Hydrogen1

(E) 8Oxygen18 and 1Hydrogen1

490. How much energy is contained in photons with the following wavelengths: 2.02 × 10−2 m (microwave), 10.6 mm (mid-infrared), 1.68 × 10−8 m (ultraviolet), and 2.02 × 10−10 m (X-ray)?

(A) 2.02 × 10−7 eV, 1.06 × 10−9 eV, 1.68 × 10−13 eV, and 2.02 × 10−15 eV

(B) 6.13 × 10−7 eV, 1.16 × 10 −9 eV, 7.38 × 10−13 eV, and 6.13 × 10−15 eV

(C) 2.02 × 10−9 eV, 1.06 × 10−11 eV, 1.68 × 10−15 eV, and 2.02 × 10−17 eV

(D) 6.13 × 10−9 eV, 1.16 × 10−11 eV, 7.38 × 10−15 eV, and 6.13 × 10−17 eV

(E) 6.13 × 10−11 eV, 1.16 × 10−13 eV, 7.38 × 10−17 eV, and 6.13 × 10−19 eV

491. If uranium235 radiates 200 MeV per fission, what is the heat of fission in terms of J/kg?

(A) 6.02 × 1019 J/kg

(B) 8.200 × 1019 J/kg

(C) 8.2 × 1014 J/kg

(D) 8.20 × 1013 J/kg

(E) 6.02 × 1023 J/kg

492. In a cyclotron, an electron is excited to 1 eV. How fast is it moving?

(A) 3.51 × 1011 m/s

(B) 5.93 × 105 m/s

(C) 3.00 × 108 m/s

(D) 5.93 × 108 m/s

(E) 6 × 106 m/s

493. Because a photon does not have a mass, how can its impact with an atom have an effect?

(A) A photon has a very tiny mass, which allows the effect.

(B) A photon is a quantum of energy, which allows the effect.

(C) Because a photon is wavelike, the wave affects the atom.

(D) Because an atom absorbs photons.

(E) Photons only interact with photons.

494. Why is the photoelectric effect most important?

(A) It allowed Einstein to write a paper.

(B) It showed that light affects atoms.

(C) It helped define the quantum effect of energy.

(D) It led to the development of photocells.

(E) It became a new electric circuit element.

495. Does light behave like a wave or a particle?

(A) It behaves like a wave.

(B) It behaves like a particle.

(C) It depends on the property being examined.

(D) It behaves like a wave and a particle.

(E) It does not behave like a wave or a particle.

496. In nuclear fission, what causes the fission? How can it be regulated?

(A) Particles from split atoms cause fission. Once started, it cannot be stopped.

(B) Radioactive elements are always undergoing fission.

(C) Radioactive elements are always undergoing fission. This can be regulated by keeping the mass below the critical mass.

(D) Neutrons hitting atoms cause fissions. These can be regulated by neutron absorbers.

(E) Photons cause electrons to split atoms. Protecting the atoms from light regulates fission.

497. Do all elements undergo alpha decay?

(A) Yes

(B) No

(C) Only radioactive elements

(D) Only elements with sufficient mass

(E) All elements except hydrogen

498. What happens in beta decay?

(A) The atom’s energy changes, causing changes in the nucleus.

(B) A nuclear particle is changed, and an electron or positron is emitted.

(C) The atom’s charge changes.

(D) A nuclear particle is changed, and an electron is emitted.

(E) A nuclear particle is changed, and an electron or positron is emitted along with a neutrino and an antineutrino.

499. The Big Bang theory postulates that the entire presently known universe, shortly after the Big Bang, was approximately 1 AU in radius (1.5 × 1011 m) and had a mass density of 1015 g/cm3. If we assume that one part of this sphere was composed of protons, one part of neutrons, and one part of electrons, how many particles were contained in the universe at that time? (Protons and neutrons each have a mass of 1.67 × 10−30 g. An electron has a mass of 9.11 × 10−33 g.)

500. A nuclear power plant generates 3,000 MW of power daily. If the fission of one uranium235 atom releases 200 MeV, how many fissions take place each second? How much mass is converted to energy daily? (Neglect friction in the system.)