Nuclear Reactions Review

1. Nuclear Reactions Review Please note the letters may be out of order…I cut and pasted.

2. Alpha particles a.arepositively charged. b.consistof two protons and four neutrons. c.canpenetrate any thickness of matter. d.Allof the above

3. In the equation E = mc2, c stands for a.carbon. c.thespeed of light. b.thetotal energy. d.thesize of the particle.

4. Radon gas is produced a.bysmoking cigarettes. b.innuclear power plants. c.throughradioactive decay of uranium-238 in Earth’s crust. d.asa result of rotting wood in the basements of houses.

5. What holds protons and neutrons together in a nucleus? a.likecharges attracting c.strongnuclear force b.likecharges repelling d.atomicmass

6. In a stable nucleus, the attractive forces are _____ the repulsive forces. a.weakerthan c.canceledout by b.strongerthan d.equalto

7. During fission, some of the parent nuclear mass is converted into a.energy. c.criticalmass. b.heaviernuclei. d.protons.

8. A nuclear chain reaction occurs when excess _____ collide with other nuclei. a.protons c.nuclei b.neutrons d.gammarays

9. Fusion produces _____ nuclei. a.same-sized c.larger b.smaller d.Allof the above

10. Which of the following is not a source of natural background radiation? a.thesun c.rocks b.X-ray machines d.soil

11. Which of the following is an advantage of nuclear energy as a power source? a.Nuclearwaste is not radioactive. b.Nuclearplants are low in cost. c.Nuclearenergy does not produce air pollution. d.Wastecan be stored anywhere.

12. Which of the following is a disadvantage of nuclear energy as a power source? a.Nuclearenergy produces less energy than the burning of coal. b.Nuclearenergy produces air pollution. c.Nuclearwaste must be safely stored. d.Thefuel source is very limited.

13. The nuclear power used for electricity is produced by a.fusion. c.achemical reaction. b.fission. d.radongas.

14. The process of nuclear change in an atom of radioactive material is called a.radioactivedecay. c.nuclearmass. b.isotopes. d.radon.

15. When a nucleus undergoes nuclear decay by gamma rays, the atomic number of the new element a.remainsthe same. c.increasesby one. b.decreasesby one. d.increasesby two.

16. The attractive force between protons and neutrons in a nucleus caused by the strong nuclear force acts only a.outsidethe nucleus. c.inunstable isotopes. b.overa very short distance. d.intermittently.

17. Nuclei with too many or too few neutrons are a.neverfound. c.unnatural. b.unstable. d.stable.

18. Fusion occurs when nuclei a.split. c.mutate. b.combine. d.gainenergy.

19. Short-lived isotopes that are used in fields such as agriculture and medicine are called a.traceelements. c.radioactivetracers. b.carbontracers. d.alpha-emitting isotopes.

20. Alpha particles are nuclei of a.oxygen. c.helium. b.nitrogen. d.radium.

21. In radioactive decay, with each successive half-life, half the remaining sample decays to form another a.nucleus. c.life-form. b.element. d.proton.

22. The process of the production of lighter nuclei from heavier nuclei is called a.massenergy. c.magnetism. b.fusion. d.fission.

23. The isotopes of hydrogen that are commonly used in fusion are a.hydrogenand deuterium c.tritiumand deuterium b.hydrogenand tritium d.noneof the above

24. An instrument that is used to determine the radioactivity in a substance is called a a.nuclearreactor c.emissiondetector b.Geigercounter d.radioactivitydetector

25. Radioactive materials have unstable A.electrons. C.protons. B.nuclei. D.neutrons.

26. 2. The type of nuclear radiation that can penetrate farthest through matter is called A.radons. C.neutronemission. B.gammarays. D.X-rays.

27. 3. Nuclei with too many or too few neutrons are A.neverfound. C.unnatural. B.unstable. D.stable.

28. 4. The process by which a nucleus splits into two or more smaller fragments, releasing neutrons and energy is called... A.strongnuclear split C.changereaction B.fusion. D.fission.

29. 5. Fusion occurs when nuclei A.split. C.mutate. B.combine. D.gainenergy.

30. 6. A fission chain reaction can be slowed by using materials that will A.absorbsome of the neutrons. B.convertsome of the neutrons to protons. C.increasethe rate of the neutron multiplication. D.decreasethe amount of available oxygen in the air.

31. 7. You prepare a large screened-in box, inside which you place several dozen mouse traps. You set each trap and on each mouse trap you place a ping pong ball. You then drop another ping pong ball into the box, which sets off one of the mouse traps, which sets off other mouse traps, and so on. You have just demonstrated • A.achain reaction. • C.thetheory of relativity. • B.fusion. • D.alphadecay.

32. 8. Background radiation can come from • A.thesun. • C.plants. • B.water. • D.allof the above

33. 9. Our body tissues are normally protected from most background radiation by • A.specialdeflectors in the atmosphere. • B.ourouter skin. • C.stayingindoors or in protected areas. • D.specialmolecules within our bodies that fight radiation.

34. 10. Short-lived isotopes like magnesium-28 that are used in fields such as geology, agriculture, and medicine are called • A.traceelements. • C.carbontracers. • B.radioactivetracers. • D.alpha-emitting isotopes.

35. 11. Radioactive tracers are short-lived • A.drugs. • C.tumors. • B.isotopes. • D.rays.

36. 12. To treat certain brain tumors, doctors can use small beams of ____ that are focused to kill only the tumor cells. • A.X-rays • C.alpharays • B.betarays • D.gammarays

37. 13. The use of nuclear reactors to generate electricity is • A.decreasingrapidly. • C.foundin dozens of countries. • B.foundonly in the United States. • D.totallysafe.

38. 14. The ideal location for a radioactive-waste storage facility is one that is • A.ina sparsely populated area. • C.faraway from ground water • B.inan area free from earthquakes. • D.allof the above

39. 15. When a fusion reactor for safely generating energy is developed, the element that could meet Earth's energy demands for millions of years is • A.oxygen. • C.hydrogen. • B.nitrogen. • D.lithium.

40. 16. What two elements are involved in nuclear fusion reactions? • A.bariumand krypton • C.uraniumand hydrogen • B.uraniumand barium • D.hydrogenand helium

41. 17. Nuclear reactors use __________ to turn large turbines to produce electricity. • A.water • C.wind • B.solarenergy • D.steam

42. 18. Our sun is powered by nuclear __________. • A.fission • C.waste • B.fusion • D.reactors

43. 19. Which element is the largest source of radiation in the Earth's crust? • A.Uranium • C.Radon • B.Krypton • D.Barium

44. 20. What is the force that binds protons and neutrons together in the nucleus of an atom called? • A.gravity • C.strongnuclear force • B.magneticforce • D.airforce one

45. 21. What is the name for the process in which light nuclei combine at extremely high temperatures, forming a heavier nucleus and releasing energy? • A.alphacontact • C.fusion • B.fission • D.changereaction

46. 22. Name one good use of the energy produced in a controlled chain reaction. • A.tanning • C.electricity • B.x-rays • D.nuclearwaste

47. 23. During beta decay, a nucleus • A.givesup two protons and two neutrons. • B.maintainsthe same number of protons and neutrons. • C.losesa proton and gains a neutron. • D.gainsa proton and loses a neutron.

48. 24. In alpha decay, the mass number of the atom before the decay • A.equalsthe sum of the mass numbers of the products. • B.doesnot change after the decay. • C.isthe same as the atomic number. • D.cannotbe determined.

49. 25. Which of the following occurs in the nucleus during alpha decay? • A.Twoneutrons and two electrons are gained. • B.Twoprotons and two neutrons are gained. • C.Twoneutrons and two electrons are lost. • D.Twoprotons and two neutrons are lost.

50. 26. What changes in the nucleus during nuclear decay by gamma rays? • A.energycontent • C.atomicnumber • B.atomicmass • D.Allof the above