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3 marksRadioactivity

CAPE Physics Unit 2 · 2008 (Rest of Region) · Paper 2 · Question 6(b)(iii)

Radon gas emits \alpha-particles with activity 4500 Bq. A radon nucleus has 86 protons and 136 neutrons, decaying to polonium (Po).

Find the rate of energy release (in watts) for the sample given that each decay releases 6.3 MeV and the activity is 4500 Bq.

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Other parts of this question

  1. 6(a)(i)Explain what is meant by the 'binding energy of the nucleus'.[2 marks]
  2. 6(a)(ii)Calculate the binding energy per nucleon (in joules) for an \alpha-particle (helium-4 nucleus).[3 marks]
  3. 6(a)(iii)Comment on the significance of helium-4 having a much higher binding energy per nucleon than nearby elements in the periodic table.[2 marks]
  4. 6(b)(i)Write a nuclear decay equation for the decay of radon into polonium.[2 marks]
  5. 6(b)(ii)Calculate the number of radon atoms present at that instant if the half-life of radon is 55 s.[3 marks]

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