Nuclear Physics | MCQs

Explanation

Ernest Rutherford showed (1919) that nitrogen under alpha-particle bombardment ejects what appear to be hydrogen nuclei.

By 1920 Ernest Rutherford had accepted the hydrogen nucleus as an elementary particle, naming it proton.

while

Electron was discovered by J. J. Thomson in 1897.

Explanation

Heavy water, also known as Deuterium Oxide (D₂O).

It is used as a neutron moderator in nuclear reactors.

Due to its ability to slow down neutrons without absorbing them.

Explanation

Gamma radiation is the most dangerous type of radiation.

it has high energy and can penetrate most materials, including human tissue.

It is highly penetrating and can cause significant biological damage.

Explanation

Atomic nuclei consist of electrically positive protons and electrically neutral neutrons.

The nucleus makes up much less than. 01% of the volume of the atom,

but typically contains more than 99.9% of the mass of the atom.

Explanation

Cobalt-60, an isotope of cobalt, is widely used in radiation therapy to treat cancer.

It emits gamma rays, which help destroy cancerous cells in medical treatments.

Explanation

Isotopes are atoms with different atomic masses that have the same atomic number.

The atoms of different isotopes are atoms of the same chemical element; they differ in the number of neutrons in the nucleus.

Isotopes:

• The isotopes are a group of atoms that have the same atomic numbers but different mass numbers.
• That means all isotopes of an element have the same number of protons in their atomic nuclei and the same number of electrons in the electron cloud surrounding the nucleus.

Difference between isotopes

• Isotopes differ in the total number of neutrons present in their respective atomic nuclei.
• Thus they have different mass numbers.
• Different isotopes of the same element are having different masses.
• Protium (1 proton,1 electron, and no neutrons), Deuterium (1 proton, 1 electron, and 1 neutron), and Tritium (1 proton, 1 electron, and 2 neutrons) are examples of isotopes of Hydrogen.

Explanation

Marie Curie is best known for her work in radioactivity

She also discovered the elements radium and polonium.

Her pioneering research in radioactivity earned her two Nobel Prizes, one in Physics (1903) and one in Chemistry (1911).

Explanation

• Edward Teller is often referred to as the “father of the hydrogen bomb.”

•  After the Soviet Union detonated its first atomic bomb in 1949, Edward Teller worked to convince President Truman to develop a crash program for the hydrogen bomb, which he believed was feasible.

• Edward Teller was a Hungarian-American theoretical physicist

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Explanation

Nuclear fusion is a process where two or more light nuclei (atomic nuclei with a small number of protons and neutrons) combine to form a single, heavier nucleus.

This process releases energy, as the resulting nucleus has a higher binding energy than the original nuclei.

Explanation

Nuclear fission is a process in which a heavy, unstable nucleus splits into two or more smaller nuclei, releasing energy and often additional particles like neutrons.

This process is the opposite of nuclear fusion, where smaller nuclei combine to form a heavier nucleus.