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3 marksRadioactivity

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

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

Calculate the number of radon atoms present at that instant if the half-life of radon is 55 s.

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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)(iii)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.[3 marks]

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