Practice E.3 Radioactive decay with authentic IB Physics exam questions for both SL and HL students. This question bank mirrors Paper 1A, 1B, 2 structure, covering key topics like mechanics, thermodynamics, and waves. Get instant solutions, detailed explanations, and build exam confidence with questions in the style of IB examiners.
In an experiment, a beam of neutrons is used to induce artificial transmutation of stable nuclei, producing radioactive , which undergoes decay with a half-life of 2.25 minutes.
Write an equation for the neutron-induced transmutation reaction.
Write an equation for the subsequent decay of .
Calculate the activity of a sample containing atoms of .
Determine the number of atoms remaining after 6.75 minutes.
Explain the role of neutron activation in nuclear physics and suggest a practical application.
The graph shows the activity of a radioactive sample as a function of time.
Define the term activity as used in radioactive decay.
Use the graph to determine the half-life of the sample. Show your working.
Calculate the decay constant of the sample using your answer to Part 2.
The number of undecayed nuclei at time is given by . Deduce the expression for the half-life in terms of the decay constant.
A detector used to measure this sample's activity has a uncertainty in its readings. Discuss the effect of this uncertainty on the accuracy of your half-life determination.
Explain how this graph supports the probabilistic nature of radioactive decay.
Which of the following is true about mass-energy changes in nuclear decay?
An isotope of mass number has a binding energy per nucleon of . What is the total energy released if of this isotope is formed from separated nucleons?
Astatine-211 has a half-life of hours. If the activity of a sample of astatine-211 is , how many atoms of astatine-211 are in the sample?
What is the mass number of a beta particle?
A nuclide undergoes decay. Which of the following changes occurs in the nucleus?
A student plots a graph of the binding energy per nucleon against the nucleon number of several nuclides. She finds that the average binding energy per nucleon is relatively constant for nuclides with more than 62 nucleons. What can be determined from this finding?
A nuclide undergoes decay. What is the resulting daughter nuclide?
An alpha particle is composed of two protons and two neutrons. The mass of a proton is m P, the mass of a neutron is m N, and the mass of an alpha particle is m \alpha. What is the sum of the masses of the individual nucleons compared to the mass of the alpha particle, and what interaction is mainly responsible for this difference in mass?
| Sum of masses | Interaction | |
|---|---|---|
| A | Electromagnetic | |
| B | Strong nuclear | |
| C | Electromagnetic | |
| D | Strong nuclear |