DP IB Physics: HL

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IBPhysics: HLDPTopic Questions7. Atomic, Nuclear & Particle Physics 7.2 Nuclear Reactions

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First teaching 2014

Last exams 2024

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7.2 Nuclear Reactions

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1
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Which of the following is the best definition of the unified atomic mass unit?

  • A unit of mass which is equal to the mass of one-twelfth of a neutral carbon-12 atom

  • A unit of mass which is equal to the mass of half of a carbon-12 atom

  • A unit of mass which is equal to the mass of twelve grams of a neutral carbon-12 atom

  • A unit of mass which is equal to twice the mass of a neutral carbon-12 atom

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2
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Energy-mass equivalence is given by ΔE = Δmc2. 

Using the given equation, determine which of the following is a valid unit of mass.

  • M e V

  • fraction numerator M e V over denominator c end fraction

  • fraction numerator M e V over denominator c squared end fraction

  • e V

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3
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The average binding energy per nucleon of Neon−20 open parentheses Ne presubscript 10 presuperscript 20 close parentheses nucleus is 8.0 MeV.

What is the total energy required to separate the nucleons of one nucleus of Ne presubscript 10 presuperscript 20?

  • 0 MeV

  • 8 MeV

  • 160 MeV

  • 800 MeV

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4
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The graph shows the binding energy per nucleon against nucleon number.

7-2-nuclear-reactions-sl-mcqs-easy-q4-question

Which row in the table gives possible elements found on the graph at positions X, Y and Z?

 

X

Y

Z
A. Uranium Calcium Xenon
B. Hydrogen Uranium Iron
C. Calcium Hydrogen Iron
D. Hydrogen Iron Uranium

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5
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Which statement is correct regarding nuclear fission?

  • The daughter nucleus has a greater nucleon number than the original nucleus

  • Energy is absorbed during nuclear fission

  • The combined mass of the daughter nuclei is less than the mass of the original nucleus

  • Nuclear fission is the joining of two small nuclei to produce a larger nucleus

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6
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What is the approximate mass of oxygen−16 open parentheses O presubscript 8 presuperscript 16 close parentheses in atomic mass units?

  • 1 u

  • 8 u

  • 16 u

  • 3.00 × 108 u

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7
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Nuclear reactions can be represented by equations.

straight U presubscript 92 presuperscript 235 plus straight n presubscript 0 presuperscript 1 rightwards arrow 2 space Pd presubscript 46 presuperscript 116 space plus 4 space straight n presubscript 0 presuperscript 1

Which type of reaction does the equation show?

  • Alpha decay

  • Beta decay

  • Nuclear fusion

  • Nuclear fission

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8
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A nuclide of deuterium H presubscript 1 presuperscript 2 and a nuclide of tritium H presubscript 1 presuperscript 3 undergo nuclear fusion.

Which statement is not correct about nuclear fusion?

  • For fusion to occur both nuclei must have high kinetic energy 

  • The process of fusion absorbs energy 

  • Fusion is the combining of two smaller nuclei into a larger nucleus

  • Fusion is the process that powers stars

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9
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Which statement is a definition of binding energy per nucleon?

  • The difference between an atom's mass and the sum of the masses of its nucleons

  • The binding energy of a nucleus divided by the number of nucleons in the nucleus

  • The energy required to break a nucleus into its constituent protons and neutrons

  • The amount of kinetic energy required for fusion to occur

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10
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The following fusion reaction occurs in stars:

straight H presubscript 1 presuperscript 2 plus straight H presubscript 1 presuperscript 3 rightwards arrow He presubscript 2 presuperscript 4 plus straight n presubscript 0 presuperscript 1

The binding energies are given as follows:

  • The binding energy of deuterium, straight H presubscript 1 presuperscript 2 is 2.2 MeV
  • The binding energy of tritium, straight H presubscript 1 presuperscript 3 is 8.5 MeV
  • The binding energy of helium, He presubscript 2 presuperscript 4 is 7.1 MeV

Given that the energy released is the difference between the binding energy of the products and the reactants, how much energy is released in this fusion process?

  • 2.2 MeV

  • 3.6 MeV

  • 7.1 MeV

  • 10.7 MeV

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1
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A nucleus X presubscript Z presuperscript A has a mass M. 

Which of the following expressions correctly represents the binding energy per nucleon of this nucleus in terms of the speed of light c, the mass of a proton mp and the mass of a neutron mn? 

  • open parentheses fraction numerator Z m subscript straight p plus A m subscript straight n minus M over denominator A end fraction close parentheses c squared

  • open parentheses fraction numerator Z m subscript straight p plus open parentheses A minus Z close parentheses m subscript straight n minus M over denominator Z end fraction close parentheses c squared

  • open parentheses fraction numerator Z m subscript straight p plus open parentheses Z minus A close parentheses m subscript straight n minus M over denominator A end fraction close parentheses c squared

  • open parentheses fraction numerator Z m subscript straight p plus open parentheses A minus Z close parentheses m subscript straight n minus M over denominator A end fraction close parentheses c squared

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2
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A nuclear reaction can be written in the form:

W plus X equals Y plus Z

Energy is released during this reaction. 

Which of the following is correct regarding the masses m and the binding energies b of the nuclides?

  Binding energy Mass
A. b subscript W plus b subscript X less than b subscript Y plus b subscript Z m subscript W plus m subscript X less than m subscript Y plus m subscript Z
B. b subscript W plus b subscript X greater than b subscript Y plus b subscript Z m subscript W plus m subscript X less than m subscript Y plus m subscript Z
C. b subscript W plus b subscript X less than b subscript Y plus b subscript Z m subscript W plus m subscript X greater than m subscript Y plus m subscript Z
D. b subscript W plus b subscript X greater than b subscript Y plus b subscript Z m subscript W plus m subscript X greater than m subscript Y plus m subscript Z

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3
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One possible fission reaction for uranium−235 is:

straight U presubscript 92 presuperscript 235 space rightwards arrow Ba presubscript straight X presuperscript 141 space plus Kr presubscript straight Z presuperscript straight Y space plus 3 straight n presubscript 0 presuperscript 1

The proton number of barium is 20 more than the proton number of krypton. The measured mass of this nucleus is M.

Which expression gives the mass defect associated with the krypton nucleus?

  • 56 m subscript p plus 35 m subscript n minus M

  • 36 m subscript p plus 55 m subscript n minus M

  • fraction numerator 36 m subscript p plus 55 m subscript n over denominator M end fraction

  • 56 m subscript p plus 55 m subscript n plus M

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4
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The mass of a nucleus of rutherfordium−254 is 254.1001u.

Which of the following is not equal to the energy of this nucleus?

  • 254.1001 space cross times 931.5 space straight M text eV c end text to the power of negative 2 end exponent

  • 254.1001 space cross times 931.5 cross times open parentheses 1.6 cross times 10 to the power of negative 19 end exponent close parentheses space straight J

  • 254.1001 space cross times open parentheses 1.661 cross times 10 to the power of negative 27 end exponent close parentheses cross times open parentheses 3.00 cross times 10 to the power of 8 close parentheses squared space straight J

  • 254.1001 space cross times 931.5 cross times open parentheses 1.6 cross times 10 to the power of negative 13 end exponent close parentheses space straight J

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5
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Fusion of hydrogen can be simply modelled within the Sun by using the following reaction:

H presubscript 1 presuperscript 4 rightwards arrow scriptbase H e end scriptbase presubscript 2 presuperscript 4 plus 2 scriptbase e to the power of plus end scriptbase presubscript 1 presuperscript 0 plus 2 upsilon subscript e plus gamma presubscript 0 presuperscript 0

This reaction releases about 30 MeV of energy.

If the Sun has a power output of 3.9 × 1026 W, approximately how many of these fusion reactions are occurring every second?

  • 3.67 × 1020 reactions per second

  • 5.12 × 1026 reactions per second

  • 8.88 × 1033 reactions per second

  • 9.13 × 1037 reactions per second

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61 mark

Following the development of the atomic bomb, scientists discovered that they could create elements heavier than uranium by bombarding nuclei with neutrons. These reactions, where smaller nuclei are combined to form a heavier nucleus are called fusion reactions.

Fusion reactions are balanced in exactly the same way as radioactive decay equations. Two incomplete examples are given below:

Reaction 1. U presubscript 92 presuperscript 238 space plus space n presubscript 0 presuperscript 1 space rightwards arrow space U presubscript blank presuperscript blank

Reaction 2. P presubscript 94 presuperscript 239 u space plus 2 space n presubscript 0 presuperscript 1 space rightwards arrow space A presubscript blank presuperscript blank m space plus space e presubscript negative 1 end presubscript presuperscript 0

What are the missing products of these fusion reactions?

 

Reaction 1

Reaction 2

A.

 straight U presubscript 92 presuperscript 239 Am presubscript 95 presuperscript 240

B.

 straight U presubscript 92 presuperscript 239 Am presubscript 95 presuperscript 241

C.

 straight U presubscript 92 presuperscript 237 Am presubscript 95 presuperscript 237

D.

 straight U presubscript 92 presuperscript 237 Am presubscript 95 presuperscript 241

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7
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Nuclear power stations use a fission reactor to create a nuclear reaction. A nucleus absorbs one neutron, leading to a reaction where more than one neutron is released. These neutrons in turn will set off more reactions in a process called a chain reaction.

Which one of these decay processes would be suitable to create a chain reaction?

  • B presubscript 5 presuperscript 10 space plus space n presubscript 0 presuperscript 1 space rightwards arrow space L presubscript 3 presuperscript 7 i space plus space____

  • A presubscript 13 presuperscript 27 l space plus space a presubscript 2 presuperscript 4 space rightwards arrow space P presubscript 15 presuperscript 30 space plus space____

  • P presubscript 15 presuperscript 30 rightwards arrow space S presubscript 14 presuperscript 30 i space plus space____

  • U presubscript 92 presuperscript 235 space plus space n presubscript 0 presuperscript 1 space rightwards arrow space C presubscript 55 presuperscript 138 s space plus space R presubscript 37 presuperscript 95 b space plus space____

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8
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A stationary uranium-238 nucleus decays by alpha-emission, as shown in the equation below:

straight U presubscript 92 presuperscript 238 rightwards arrow Th presubscript 90 presuperscript 234 plus straight alpha presubscript 2 presuperscript 4

This decay generates a total energy E. 

Which of the following statements is correct regarding the kinetic energy of the alpha particle?

  • It is slightly less than 0.5E

  • It is equal to E

  • It is slightly greater than 0.5E

  • It is slightly less than E

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9
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Which of the following shows a possible reaction caused by bombardment by an alpha particle?

  • straight N presubscript 7 presuperscript 14 space plus space straight X rightwards arrow straight O presubscript 8 presuperscript 17 space plus space straight n presubscript 0 presuperscript 1

  • straight N presubscript 8 presuperscript 17 space plus space straight X rightwards arrow straight F presubscript 9 presuperscript 20 space plus space straight p presubscript 1 presuperscript 1

  • scriptbase text O end text end scriptbase presubscript 8 presuperscript 17 space plus space straight X rightwards arrow straight B presubscript 5 presuperscript 13 space plus space He presubscript 2 presuperscript 4

  • straight N presubscript 7 presuperscript 14 space plus space straight X rightwards arrow straight C presubscript 6 presuperscript 11 space plus space He presubscript 2 presuperscript 4

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10
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A certain reaction is:

straight U presubscript 92 presuperscript 235 space plus space straight n presubscript 0 presuperscript 1 rightwards arrow Ba presubscript 56 presuperscript 141 space plus space Kr presubscript 36 presuperscript 92 space plus 3 straight n presubscript 0 presuperscript 1 space plus space left parenthesis energy right parenthesis

Which process is demonstrated by this reaction?

  • Alpha decay

  • Beta decay

  • Nuclear fission

  • Nuclear fusion

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1
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The image below shows a simplified version of the binding energy per nucleon E of nuclei versus the nucleon number N. Which of the following positions represents nuclei that are the most stable?

q11_nuclear-reactions_ib-sl-physics-mcq

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2
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The rest mass of a nucleus of Boron-11 (B presubscript 5 presuperscript 11) can be considered as mB. The rest-masses of a neutron and proton can be considered as mN and mP respectively. Which of the following equations is the correct representation for the binding energy of Boron-11?

  • (5mP + 6mN – mB)c2

  • (5mP + 6mN + mB)c2

  • (5mP + 11mN – mB)c2

  • (6mP + 5mN – mB)c2

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3
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Which statement about nuclear binding energy is correct?

  • It is the energy equivalent of the mass of the neutrons in a nucleus

  • It is the energy required to separate nucleons in a nucleus

  • It is the energy required to overcome the electrostatic force between nucleons in the nucleus

  • It is the energy required to remove a single nucleon from a nucleus

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4
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The binding energy per nucleon is 7.98 MeV for an atom ofblank subscript 8 superscript 16 O . Approximately how much energy would be needed to completely separate the nucleons of this atom?

  • 33.2 MeV

  • 63.9 MeV

  • 88.5 MeV

  • 127.7 MeV

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5
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The mass defect for Helium-4 is 5.04 × 10–29 kg. What is the binding energy of Helium-4 closest to?  

  • 0.02 MeV

  • 28 MeV

  • 190 MeV

  • 1225 MeV

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6
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Which of the following isotopes releases the least amount of potential energy during nuclear fission?

  • Uranium-235

  • Thorium-231

  • Radon-222

  • Osmium-190

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7
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Two identical nuclei of mass m fuse to form a single heavier nucleus (with no other products) with mass M. Which of the following statements is correct?

  • m = M

  • 2m = M

  • 2m > M

  • 2m < M

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8
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Alchemists investigated the process of transmutation of mercury into gold. This can be represented by the following equation:

straight H presubscript 1 presuperscript 2 plus Hg presubscript 80 presuperscript 199 rightwards arrow Au presubscript 79 presuperscript 197 plus He presubscript 2 presuperscript 4

The sum of the rest masses of deuterium and mercury is 202.60 u and the sum of the rest masses of gold and helium are 200.97 u.

Take the energy equivalent of 0.001 u to be 1 MeV.

Which of the following can be determined from the information provided?

  • Energy of approximately 2000 MeV has been converted to a mass of 2 u

  • The kinetic energy of the products exceeds the kinetic energy of the reactants by 2000 MeV

  • The number of nuclei of gold is not equal to the number of nuclei of mercury

  • The kinetic energy of the deuterium nucleus was 2000 MeV

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9
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Nitrogen-14 can be transformed into Oxygen-17 by bombardment with high energy alpha particles, as described in the nuclear reaction equation below:

N presubscript 7 presuperscript 14 plus scriptbase H e end scriptbase presubscript 2 presuperscript 4 rightwards arrow O presubscript 8 presuperscript 17 plus H presubscript 1 presuperscript 1

The total rest mass of the reactants is 18.006 u and total rest mass of the products is 18.007 u.

Which of the following statements about this reaction is correct?

  • A mass of 0.001 u has been converted to about 1 MeV of energy

  • The kinetic energy of the products exceeds the kinetic energy of the reactants by about 1 MeV 

  • The kinetic energy of the reactants exceeds the kinetic energy of the products by about 1 MeV

  • The mass defect of this reaction is 0.002 u

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The graph below shows how the average binding energy per nucleon varies with nucleon number for stable nuclei.

q20_nuclear-reactions_ib-sl-physics-mcq-tif

Approximately how much energy is released when the nucleus straight X presubscript 70 presuperscript 181 forms?

  • 7.90 MeV

  • 1430 MeV 

  • 533 MeV

  • 888 MeV

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